Colorado Rockies
In 1994 he joined the Colorado Rockies organization as the minor league hitting instructor,serving in that capacity until he was named the Rockies hitting coach in 1997. Hurdle was promoted to Manager in 2002 following the early-season firing of Buddy Bell. On April 2,2006,he was given a two-year contract extension. [7] In 2007,Hurdle managed Colorado to a record of 90-73,their best finish in the team's 15-year history;they won 13 of their last 14 games in order to force a tie-breaker game with the San Diego Padres to determine the winner of the National League Wild Card. Colorado defeated San Diego,reaching the playoffs for only the second time in Rockies history. Hurdle's Rockies then beat the Philadelphia Phillies in the Division Series,sweeping them in three games to force a match-up with their rival Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS. The Rockies continued their improbable streak by sweeping Arizona in four games to win the first pennant in team history and reach the 2007 World Series.
In the World Series,Colorado faced the Boston Red Sox. But the winning ways came to an end,and the Rockies were swept in four games. Injuries to several regulars caused the Rockies to fade in 2008,and after a poor start in 2009,Hurdle was fired on May 29. Although Hurdle was offered a "significant role" within the Rockies organization,he decided to join the MLB Network as a studio analyst for the remainder of 2009. [8] He finished with a 534–625 win–loss record. [9]
Pittsburgh Pirates
After interviewing with both the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets for their vacant managerial positions, [11] Hurdle was hired by the Pirates on November 14,2010, [12] six weeks after John Russell had been fired, [13] though much of the delay was attributed to the rule that the Pirates could not interview him until after the Rangers' World Series run.
At the 2011 All-Star break,Hurdle had led the Pirates to a 47–43 record,one game out of first place in the NL Central. It was the first time the Pirates had been over .500 going into the All-Star break since winning the 1992 National League East. At the 2012 All-Star break,Hurdle had led the Pirates to a 48–37 record,leading the NL Central division by one game over the Cincinnati Reds. However,both seasons ended with collapses that led to the Pirates' 19th and 20th straight losing seasons.
During parts of the 2013 season,the Pirates led the National League Central,with the best record in the major leagues,again aiming to snap the franchise's long losing streak. On September 9,2013,with a 1–0 win over the Texas Rangers Clint Hurdle's Pittsburgh Pirates attained win number 82. On September 23,2013,with a 2–1 win over the Chicago Cubs and a win by the St. Louis Cardinals over the Washington Nationals,the Pittsburgh Pirates secured their first playoff berth since 1992 as well as their 90th win. Under Hurdle,the Pirates would finish the 2013 season with a record of 94 wins and 68 losses,three games behind the NL Central division winning Cardinals. In the playoffs,the Pirates won the 2013 National League Wild Card Game against the Reds but would lose the deciding game five against the Cardinals in the 2013 National League Division Series. Hurdle won the National League Sporting News Manager of the Year Award in 2013.
In 2014,the Pirates would again clinch a playoff berth with a record of 88 wins and 74 losses to make a second straight appearance in the Wild Card game. The Pirates lost the 2014 National League Wild Card Game to the eventual World Series champion San Francisco Giants.
In 2015 the Pirates again made the postseason as one of the National League wild card teams with a 98–64 record,the second best record of any team that season. The Pirates lost the 2015 National League Wild Card Game to the Chicago Cubs.
In 2016 the Pirates missed the postseason for the first time since 2012 with a 78–83 record while Hurdle reached win 1,000 as a manager on June 24 against the Los Angeles Dodgers [14]
In 2017 the Pirates missed the postseason for the second season in a row with a 75–87 record.
In 2018 the Pirates missed the postseason for the third season in a row but finished for the first time since 2015 with a winning record of 82–79. An odd quirk is that it was the first time in 30 years that the Pirates finished with a winning record without reaching the postseason.
On September 28,2019,Hurdle was fired as manager due to a second-half slump after missing the playoffs for four straight seasons. He subsequently retired from baseball on November 12,2019. [15]
