The Athletics made a change on Monday after their season slid into a rough stretch, parting ways with pitching coach Scott Emerson following a run of 13 losses in their last 14 games before the All-Star break.
Bullpen coach Dan Hubbs will take over as interim pitching coach for the rest of the 2026 season.
The move comes with the A’s sitting at 41-55 and owning the worst ERA in the American League at 5.21. Their pitching problems have been hard to miss, even in a home environment that has made life difficult on arms. Since the club moved into a Triple-A stadium last year, Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park has played as a hitter-friendly park rivaled only by Coors Field in Denver.
There have been a few bright spots, including a strong season so far from starter J.T. Ginn.
But the rotation as a whole has struggled to give the A’s steady production. Luis Severino has been sidelined by a shoulder strain since late May, while veterans Jeffrey Springs and Aaron Civale have posted ERAs of 6.08 and 5.42, respectively.
Emerson, 54, had been part of the organization for a long time. He began his coaching career in the Pittsburgh Pirates system, then joined the A’s as a minor-league pitching coach in 2003. He moved up to the big-league staff as bullpen coach in 2015 and was promoted two years later to replace Curt Young as pitching coach.
His run included three postseason trips with the Athletics in 2018, 2019 and 2020. Early in his tenure, the club’s pitching staff finished comfortably in the top half of the majors in ERA during his first four full seasons. Over the past five seasons, though, that unit has ranked 24th or worse.
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