Lloyd McClendon was hired as manager of the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday, taking over a rebuilding job Eric Wedge walked away from. McClendon becomes the third manager hired by general manager Jack Zduriencik. Wedge quit at the end of the Mariners' fourth straight losing season, citing differences with the front office on how to move forward with improving the team. Wedge's contract expired after the season. McClendon, 54, is the 16th full-time manager in club history. He takes over a club that went 71-91 in 2013. He will be formally introduced by the team Thursday. "I am extremely excited about the opportunity to manage the Seattle Mariners," McClendon said in a statement. "Seattle has a tremendous group of talented players and the fans and city should be excited about the club's future. I'm looking for this group to take a big step forward." The Puget Sound Business Journal earlier reported the news. Read more http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/9932472/seattle-mariners-hire-lloyd-mcclendon-manager
