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Mariners fire manager Lloyd McClendon

Jerome Miron / Reuters

The first personnel decision Jerry Dipoto made as general manager of the Seattle Mariners was a major one.

Dipoto, hired by the club in late September, has relieved manager Lloyd McClendon of his duties. McClendon, who guided Seattle to a 76-86 record in 2015, his second season with the club, was under contract for 2016 at $1 million.

"After extensive conversations it became clear to me that our baseball philosophies were not closely aligned," Dipoto told reporters Friday.

Along with McClendon, bench coach Trent Jewett, third-base coach Rich Donnelly, outfielde coach Andy Van Slyke, and bullpen coach Mike Rojas were all fired.

In two seasons with McClendon at the helm, though, the Mariners have finished third and fourth, respectively, in the AL West. Despite adding Nelson Cruz last winter to a roster that finished 87-75 in 2014, the Mariners crumbled this season, scoring the third-fewest runs in the AL.

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