Tigers fire pitching coach Chris Bosio for insensitive comments

The Detroit Tigers have terminated the contract of pitching coach Chris Bosio.

The team announced the firing on Wednesday stating that the move was effective immediately for "insensitive comments that violated Club policy and his Uniform Employee Contract."

While the specifics about what Bosio said are unclear, Tigers general manager Al Avila explained the comments were directed toward a team employee, according to MLB.com's Jason Beck. The language he used was racially charged, as Brad Galli of WXYZ Detroit reported.

"First and foremost, I have to take seriously what the comments were, and the action we took was appropriate," Avila said. "We felt that obviously it was the right move, and that's the most important thing for us. Secondary is what's going to happen to the pitching, and we feel more than confident with the experience of Rick Anderson and Jeff Pico to lead the way the rest of the season."

Anderson will serve as the team's pitching coach going forward with Pico taking over as the bullpen coach.

This was Bosio's first season as the Tigers' pitching coach. He joined the team alongside new manager Ron Gardenhire after being fired by the Chicago Cubs following the 2017 campaign. He originally joined the Cubs' coaching staff in 2012.