Getty Chris Bosio.
The Detroit Tigers have fired pitching coach Chris Bosio for making “insensitive comments” that violated team policy, the organization announced Wednesday. Bosio, 55, is a former MLB pitcher who was in his first season with the Tigers. He joined new manager Ron Gardenhire’s staff in the off-season.
Bosio used racist language, WXYZ-TV reports. He has not issued a statement.
Here’s what you need to know about Chris Bosio:
1. The Tigers Did Not Reveal What Bosio Said to Get Fired, but the Comments Were Directed at a Team Employee
The Detroit Tigers today issued the following statement on Chris Bosio.
The Detroit Tigers did not reveal in their press release what Chris Bosio said to get fired.
“Effective immediately, the Detroit Tigers have terminated the contract of pitching coach Chris Bosio for his insensitive comments that violated Club policy and his Uniform Employee Contract. The organization holds all of our personnel to the highest standards of personal conduct both on and off the field. We have zero tolerance for this type of behavior. The Club will have no further comment on this matter,” the statement said.
According to CBS Sports, the comments were directed toward a team employee. No other details have been made public.
Bullpen coach Rick Anderson will serve as pitching coach for the remainder of the 2018 season.
According to MLive.com, general manager Al Avila was asked what Bosio’s reaction was to the news he was being fired, and Avila said, “I can’t tell you what his response was, but there was really not a whole lot of dialogue. Nobody likes to fire anybody, but sometimes you have no choice. We acted upon what we felt was right and we stand by it. … For me and our organization we felt that this was a much-needed move. We have zero tolerance as far as this is concerned, on the field or off the field. That’s our policy in our organization and what we believe and we felt that we made the right decision.”
Avila added, “It was brought to my attention yesterday. We investigated. John Westhoff, our club counsel, did a lot of the legwork. I talked to the parties involved. I decided that we needed to act quickly based on the information.”
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Tigers reliever Alex Wilson told the Detroit Free-Press, “It was unfortunate. I think a lot of us had heard rumors what had taken place, especially this morning. When I showed up, something was different, it had a different feeling in the room. We had a meeting and it was announced officially. It’s an awkward day, it’s a weird day.”
2. He Is a California Native & Pitched at Sacramento City College
Chris Bosio during a mound visit.
Bosio was born April 3, 1963, in Carmichael, California. He attended Cordova High School in Rancho Cordova and then pitched at Sacramento State College. The Brewers drafted Bosio in the second round of the 1982 MLB Draft.
Bosio has been married to Heather Bosio since 2016. She is his second wife, he was previously married to Suzanne Bosio. He has two sons, Jensen and Jace. He spent a few weeks away from the team in April because of a health issue, the Detroit Free Press reported at the time. Manager Ron Gardenhire did not provide details about his pitching coach’s health problems.
“The update is Bosio is going to be out for a couple weeks here,” Gardenhire told reporters. “Doctors have said that’s the best thing to do right now. He’s went through everything he’s supposed to go through. Now they want him to just sit back and relax a little bit here. That’s about all we can say. As far as health goes, he’s fine. He’s been through a little of, you know, health issues. Everything’s taken care of and he’s one the mend. That’s all we can say. Can’t say anything more than that.”
3. Bosio, Who Played for the Brewers & Mariners During a 10-Year MLB Career, Was Charged With Assault in 1987
Chris Bosio while pitching for the Mariners.
Chris Bosio had a 10-year career in the major leagues before getting into coaching. He made his MLB debut with the Milwaukee Brewers in 1986 and played there until 1992. He became a free agent after that season and signed with the Seattle Mariners, where he played until his retirement in 1996. Bosio threw a no-hitter on April 22, 1993, against the Boston Red Sox.
During his MLB career, Bosio compiled a record of 94 wins and 93 losses, with a 3.96 ERA and 1,059 strikeouts, according to Baseball Reference.
In 1987, while playing for the Brewers, Bosio was accused of assault and battery during a “scuffle” with a parking lot attendant during an argument that began when Bosio refused to pay $4 parking fee, according to a UPI article from the time. Bosio was accused of hitting the 24-year-old parking attendant in the face several times after refusing to pay the parking fee at the Festa Italiana at maier Festival Park in Milwaukee. The parking attendant suffered a broken nose.
“My face is sore. I have black and blue eyes. I was hit all over,” the attendant said. The outcome of that case was not immediately available.
4. He Began His Coaching Career in the Mariners Organization & Was Hired as Lou Pinella’s Pitching Coach in Tampa in 2003
Chris Bosio.
After his retirement, Bosio began coaching in the Mariners organization in 1998. He was a special assignment pitching coach from 1998 to 2001, and then was the pitching coach for the Tacoma Rainiers in the Triple A.
Bosio was hired by Tampa Bay manager Lou Pinella in 2003 to be his pitching coach. But he left baseball in 2003 for family health reasons and moved with his family to Appleton, Wisconsin. He spent time coaching at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and at Lawrence University, before returning to pro baseball in 2008 with the Cincinnati Red organization. He was the Milwuakee Brewers pitching coach on an interim basis in 2009 and then became an advance scout
5. Bosio Was Fired by the Cubs in 2017 After 6 Years With the Team
Chris Bosio.
Bosio helped lead the Chicago Cubs to a World Series in 2016. He was hired by new team president Theo Epstein in 2012. Bosio was fired after the 2017 season.
When asked why he was being fired, manager Joe Maddon and Epstein told reporters they needed a “new voice,” which Chicago Tribune columnist Paul Sullivan said was baseball code for, “none of your business.”
Bosio is known to be competitive and get heated during games. While coaching in Chicago, he had a blow-up with pitcher Jon Lester. Cubs pitchers said Bosio would tell them, “if you aren’t tough enough, this game will eat you alive,” according to the Sacramento Bee.
“From talking with him and people who played with and against him, you learn a lot about his demeanor and competitiveness, his will to win,” pitcher Jake Arrieta told the Chicago Tribune. “He’s a guy who didn’t put up with much. He was a tough guy back in the day. Still is. But that fire he had, he instills a lot of that in these guys here and has a lot of credibility because he did this in the same game we’re playing, and he did it for a long time. Anytime you can have a mentor or instructor who has those credentials, it really helps guys to be able to latch on to him and use that information to the best of their ability.”
