Cubs fire pitching coach Bosio after six seasons

Oct 21, 2017 - 5:54 PM The Chicago Cubs fired pitching coach Chris Bosio after six seasons, according to multiple reports Saturday.

The 54-year-old Bosio joined the Cubs when Theo Epstein became team president in 2012. Bosio served under former managers Dale Sveum and Rick Renteria, and was retained when Joe Maddon was hired as manager of the Cubs in 2015.

The decision comes days after the postseason collapse of the bullpen and the Cubs were eliminated by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.

The Cubs' pitching staff in 2017 issued the fifth-most walks (554) in the National League during the regular season and the highest total (53) in 10 games of the postseason.

The Cubs were seventh in the majors in pitching this year with a 3.95 ERA, after ranking first last year with a 3.19 ERA.

Bosio, a former major league pitcher, previously served on the coaching staffs of the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers.

Maddon earlier this week said he thought the coaching staff would return for next season. Bosio is the first coach on Maddon's staff to be fired.

"The staff's done a great job," Maddon said Wednesday. "Our staff's been awesome. And it's a tight knit group. There's a lot of synergy involved."

The defending World Series champions were eliminated on Thursday night by the Dodgers as the Cubs won just one game in the best-of-seven series.

Epstein said Friday any coaching decisions would be up to Maddon.

"Rest assured, every coach that (Maddon) wants back he will have back," Epstein said in a press conference Friday.

Under Bosio's direction, Jake Arrieta won the Cy Young Award in 2015 and Kyle Hendricks led the majors with a 2.13 ERA in 2016.

Former Tampa Bay Rays pitching coach Jim Hickey, who parted ways with the organization following the 2017 season, could be a candidate to replace Bosio.

Hickey served as Maddon's pitching coach in Tampa Bay from 2006-2014.