Clint Hurdle is leaving the Colorado Rockies after more than 20 seasons, closing a chapter for the man who managed the club to its only World Series appearance. The 69-year-old announced the move on Friday, two days after the Milwaukee Brewers won the World Series, a prize Colorado has never captured.
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“I would like to extend my appreciation and love for being part of an incredible journey over 20 years. I was granted the opportunity to coach and manage this club,” Hurdle wrote on X on Friday, as reported by ESPN. “Then I was asked to come back and mentor the young players and future leaders of this organization. Both were gifts.”
Hurdle joined the organization as a minor league hitting instructor in 1994, became the big-league hitting coach in 1997, and eventually took over as manager in 2002. His record with Colorado was 534-625.
“What I will hold on to most is the wins. It’s the people,” he continued in the post. “They are what Rocktober was built on. That’s what the next great Rockies team will be built on too.”
That might not look like much, but MLB.com notes that his 534 wins and 1,159 games managed were franchise records until Bud Black passed him in 2024. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that few Rockies managers have lasted as long in the organization.
That said, according to Denver Sports and Purple Row, his role has kept shifting in recent years. After the Pirates hired him in 2019, Hurdle stepped away from coaching. He returned to Colorado in December 2021 as a special assistant to the general manager, an advisory front-office role centered on player development.
In April 2025, he became the interim hitting coach, with the club sitting at 3-15. In May, he moved to bench coach after manager Bud Black was fired. This fall, he was helping young coaches at the club’s instructional program in Arizona.
Moreover, reports suggest the separation is mutual, and a Rockies spokesperson has confirmed it. Hurdle said he is not retiring and described the move as a chance to recalculate his path, both personally and professionally. He closed with a Dr. Seuss line about being glad something happened rather than being sad that it ended.
The club also thanked him for his contributions on X, saying his impact will be felt for years. At the end of his post, Hurdle also thanked Dr. Dick Monfort.
“Thank you to Dick Monfort for trusting me with both of these journeys and for always treating me like family and making Colorado feel like home,” his comment read.
Notably, this exit comes amid a significant restructuring. General manager Bill Schmidt, who brought Hurdle back in 2021, resigned in October 2025 after 26 years with the organization. Paul DePodesta then took over as president of baseball operations and hired Josh Byrnes as GM. Since then, the team’s record has improved to 58-104 this year, up from 43-119 in 2025, but it is still the club’s fourth straight 100-loss season.
Hurdle’s Mark Stretched Well Beyond Colorado
Hurdle’s resume extends to Pittsburgh as well, where he managed the Pirates from 2011 to 2019.
In 2013, he ended a run of 20 straight losing seasons, the longest such streak in North American professional sports history, and won the NL Manager of the Year award. The Pirates subsequently reached the playoffs three years in a row, while Andrew McCutchen won the 2013 NL MVP award under his leadership.
Pittsburgh Baseball Now reported that PNC Park gave Hurdle a warm ovation when he returned as a Rockies coach in August 2025. It was his first visit since being fired. Hurdle has experienced the sport from several different sides as a player, coach, and manager.
For Rockies fans, the open question is where he lands next, and there is no word on that yet.