Cardinals give manager Mike Matheny three-year extension, through 2020

Bob Hille

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Cardinals give manager Mike Matheny three-year extension, through 2020 image

The Cardinals signed manager Mike Matheny to a three-year extension that runs through the 2020 season, the team announced Thursday.

"Mike has continued the Cardinals tradition of winning in his first five years as manager, and we are happy to extend his contract leading our club on the field through 2020," principal owner and CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. said in a statement.

MORE: Must-see photos from the 2016 World Series

Matheny, 46, is 461-349 (.569) in his five seasons, an average of 92 wins per season, the highest average among MLB managers in that span.

The Cardinals' three-season hold on the NL Central title was broken this season by the Cubs.

And though the Cardinals have made the postseason in four of Matheny's five seasons, 2016 is the exception, leaving some Cardinals fans unhappy with Matheny's work, particularly in the context of their archrivals winning the World Series.

 

Bob Hille

Bob Hille Photo

Bob Hille, a senior content consultant for The Sporting News, has been part of the TSN team for most of the past 30 years, including as managing editor and executive editor. He is a native of Texas (forever), adopted son of Colorado, where he graduated from Colorado State, and longtime fan of “Bull Durham” (h/t Annie Savoy for The Sporting News mention).