DETROIT ? John Mizerock will not worry or wonder whether he’ll be Kansas City’s manager of the future.

When the 41-year-old became the youngest manager albeit with an interim tag in the majors Tuesday, he chose just to enjoy the moment.

Kansas City Royals interim manager John Mizerock, center, chats with Tigers manager Luis Pujols, right, and umpire Dan Iassogna prior to Tuesday night's game in Detroit. The Royals lost, 9-3.

“I’m a kid in a candy store now, however long it is, it’s going to be great,” Mizerock said. “I’m perfectly fine with the interim being in front of my name. I don’t deserve anything other than that.”

Mizerock was promoted from bullpen coach to interim manager by the Royals, whose firing of Tony Muser raised the majors’ total to a record four in the season’s first month.

General manager Allard Baird said the time was right to make a change.

“There’s a lot of season left,” he said with the team at 8-15. “We’re looking at it as a move that will help us reach our maximum potential.”

Muser, the losingest manager in team history, was told of the decision by Baird early Tuesday, after the move was already being reported.

His firing came after the Royals beat the Tigers 4-0 Monday night following his ejection in the third inning. Muser was in the final year of his contract.

“Everybody understands the circumstances, the mood of our fans,” Muser said. “They need a change. It’s just a part of this business. Managers are hired to be fired. I understand it, and life goes on. The most important thing is the success of the organization.”

Mizerock wants to be Kansas City’s manager, not just the interim manager, but he knows he will not have complete control over his future.

“The performance of the club is going to dictate that,” he said. “If we don’t reverse the way we’re playing and if I can’t make a positive influence on this club, should I be named the manager? No.”

Baird said Mizerock is being considered for the manager’s job on a permanent basis. The GM said there’s no timetable for filling the position, which will not require major league managing experience.

“It’s important to have some minor league experience when you’re dealing with a team like the Kansas City Royals where you’re always going to have an infusion of young talent coming in,” Baird said.

John Mizerock has taken over as manager of the Kansas City Royals. Tony Muser was fired Monday night; Mizerock lost his managerial debut, 9-3, on Tuesday in Detroit.

Royals owner David Glass shared that sentiment.

“I think we’ve got to have a guy who is very good at development,” Glass said from his office in Bentonville, Ark. “Development is a key to our strategy. You can’t go out and bid for the most accomplished free agents like the big markets do. We have to develop players and accelerate their development.”

The Royals haven’t had a winning record since 1994, the strike-shortened season.

Saddled with one of baseball’s lowest payrolls and weak pitching, Muser’s teams struggled in one-run games, going just 69-115 and losing a franchise-record 97 games in 1999 and 2001.

Hired off the Chicago Cubs’ staff to replace Bob Boone during the 1997 All-Star break, Muser’s best season was 77-85 in 2000.

Kansas City entered this season with a $47.3 million payroll, eighth-lowest in baseball.

“Tony did a great job with the cards he was dealt,” Kansas City first baseman Mike Sweeney said. “He did the best he could. It’s not like he had the New York Yankees the past five years.”

Mizerock was a catcher for parts of four seasons, three with Houston and one with Atlanta.

He is in his 11th season with the Royals, but his first with the major league club. He had a record of 646-554 in nine seasons as a minor league manager at every level of the organization.

Mizerock said he managed almost every player on the Royals’ roster in the minor leagues.

“I think it lends itself to me having a little more credibility with those guys,” Mizerock said.

Second baseman Carlos Febles played for Mizerock in the minors.

“He’s a baseball man; he works hard,” Febles said. “I’ve learned a lot from him. One thing I learned from him is, he told me if you want to be a major-league player, you have to be consistent.”