Kolten Wong never has known big-league baseball without Mike Matheny. In every game of Wong’s six-season career, Matheny has penned the lineup card, taken the podium at the post-game news conference and occupied the office next door to the Cardinals’ clubhouse.
Hilo’s Wong credits Matheny with teaching him how to play the right way. The manager, whom the Cardinals fired Saturday night, took a hard-nosed approach during his playing career. He wanted his players to do the same.
“He was one of the last guys to try to keep this game old school,” Wong said after the Cardinals’ 6-4 win over the Reds on Sunday. “Everything is going to analytics and shifts and all this right now, but Mike was definitely one of those guys who loved the old-school aspect of playing.”
The Cardinals hired Matheny before the 2012 season. He had a 591-474 record as the club’s skipper.
Wong was surprised by his manager’s dismissal. So was Yadier Molina, the only man on the Cardinals’ roster who was a teammate with Matheny as players. The All-Star catcher saw news of the firing on television Saturday, and Matheny texted him shortly after.
Last year, Molina pushed back against Matheny on Instagram when the manager implied his catcher was tired, and they have had a complicated relationship. Still, Molina praised Matheny’s leadership abilities. He said he hopes fans remember the manager as someone who won: Matheny led the team to four playoff berths and the National League pennant in 2013.
Multiple players said they felt a sense of responsibility after the coaching shift. Reliever Greg Holland wondered what he could have done to prevent the change. Infielder Jedd Gyorko said he felt guilty. First baseman-outfielder Jose Martinez questioned his own job security. The Cardinals executives left the team with a clear message: If performance is subpar, they are not afraid to make changes.
“When you’re not playing good baseball, unfortunately things like this happen,” Wong said. “We all know that could be us, so it’s time for us to step up, start playing better baseball and start bringing it again.”
The second baseman described the personnel adjustment as a wake-up call. He knew the sport was a business, but the firing opened his eyes to how harsh it can be.
Pitcher Adam Wainwright, the oldest player on the Cardinals, developed a close relationship with Matheny. They talked on the phone after the news broke, and Wainwright told the former manager he loved him. He wanted Matheny to know he appreciated the time they had together.
“Until these last couple of years, we were highly successful with him as the manager,” Wainwright said. “He’s a winner, and I’m glad we got to win for him. One of my only regrets is we didn’t win a championship for him.”
The Cardinals came close, falling two wins short in 2013. They appeared in two other National League Championship Series under Matheny, including 2012 — when they blew a 3-1 lead to the Giants.
Wainwright said Matheny was gracious in their conversation and appreciated the opportunity he got with the club.
Dexter Fowler, who is hitting just .176 heading into the All-Star break, said the Cardinals have not lived up to their potential in 2018. The outfielder hopes the staff changes will bring new perspectives to the team, but he did not want to see anybody lose their job.
“I respect the hell out of Mike,” Fowler said. “You don’t coach that long in the big leagues if you don’t know what you’re doing. We had our ups and downs, but at the end of the day, he’s a good man.”
The Cardinals gave interim manager Mike Shildt a win in his managerial debut, and they doused him with water in a postgame celebration in the clubhouse. For the first time since 2011, the office next door did not belong to Matheny.
“It’s weird not seeing him here,” Wong said. “But people above are going to make the decisions. It’s up to us to just continue to play, continue to try to get better.”