ARLINGTON, Texas, 2:26 p.m. EDT May 4, 2001 -- Texas Rangers manager Johnny Oates has resigned from the team.
General manager Doug Melvin says he and Oates came to a mutual agreement that it's in the team's best interest to make a change.
Third base coach Jerry Narron, 45, has been named interim manager. Narron's only previous big league managerial experience came in 1995 when Oates took a leave of absence from the club. He went 2-3.
The announcement was made during a Friday afternoon press conference.
The Rangers (11-17) entered the season with high expectations after signing star shortstop Alex Rodriguez to a $252 million contract.
The Rangers are in third place in the American League West, 11 games behind Rodriguez's old team, the Seattle Mariners.
The Rangers have lost five games in a row and were just swept by the Detroit Tigers in a three-game series at home.
Oates posted a 506-476 record in six-plus years as Rangers skipper.
He led the team to three American League West titles, but the club finished in last place last season.
He's the second-winningest manager in franchise history and the only to lead the team into the postseason.
Narron's sixth game as a major league skipper comes tonight against another struggling club, the visiting Chicago White Sox. The defending AL Central champions are just 8-18 and residents of the division cellar.
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