Washington Nationals manager Manny Acta told the media he was fired on Sunday. (Brian Blanco/Associated Press)Manny Acta has been fired as manager of the Washington Nationals.
Acta told ESPNdeportes.com on Sunday that he'd been let go, and the acting general manager of the Nationals, Mike Rizzo, confirmed the firing Monday morning in an email to The Associated Press.
The Nationals went into the all-star break with the worst record in the majors at 26-61.
"I thank the Nationals for giving me this opportunity and I'm sorry that things didn't work out as expected. It's normal for the manager to pay the price when the team is not doing well," Acta told ESPNdeportes.com.
Acta is the third manager in the major leagues to be let go this season. Colorado's Clint Hurdle and Arizona's Bob Melvin were previously fired.
The Nationals lost 5-0 at Houston on Sunday. In three seasons as Washington's manager, Acta was 158-252.
Washington lost its first seven games this year and never got close to .500. The Nationals struggled in all phases, and especially had trouble putting together a solid pitching staff.
In 2007, Acta's first season as Frank Robinson's replacement, Washington finished 73-89, fourth in the NL East but a two-win improvement over 2006 and better than was expected. Acta even received votes for NL Manager of the Year. But Washington went 59-102 last year.
Acta was the third-base coach for the New York Mets before being hired by the Nationals as a first-time manager in the majors.
