The frustration is mounting among St. Louis Cardinals fans, who were completely blindsided by the way the team has started off its 2023 season.
The Cardinals sit at 10-19 and are nine games below .500 for the first time since 2007, which was the last time they finished a season with a losing record.
It’s also their worst start since 1973.
Amidst the struggles, fans have grown frustrated with manager Oli Marmol.
This has even led some to call for his firing.
Marmol took over for Mike Shildt after the latter was fired in 2021.
On Twitter, a Cardinals fan vouched for Shildt, saying that he believes the club’s former manager was wrongly fired while praising him for his great respect for the organization.
Am I the only #STLCards fan that liked Mike Shildt and thought he was unfairly terminated? He focused solely on fundamental baseball and had an incredible amount of respect for the organization. Most likely one of the biggest mistakes this FO has ever made. pic.twitter.com/K7UsGB60Ea
— Taylor Streiff (@jtstreiff) May 2, 2023
Shildt was fired after the 2021 season, despite still having a year left on his contract.
This was due to a philosophical dispute between him and President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak.
Shildt, now the third base coach for the San Diego Padres, took over as the team’s manager when Mike Matheny was let go midway through the 2018 season.
He led the Cardinals to two 90-win seasons and three straight postseason appearances, including a run to the NLCS in 2019.
But with the team’s recent struggles, some fans appear to be wondering whether firing Shildt in 2021 was truly the right move by the front office and if Marmol was truly the right man to replace him.
Marmol led the Cardinals to a division title last season, but has not had the same success in his second year at the helm.
NEXT:
Ken Rosenthal Breaks Down The Cardinals’ Ugly Start
