Cubs fire Kimm after interim stint

Chicago Bruce Kimm got the opportunity he’d always wanted, the job he’d envisioned during the long road trips in the minor leagues.

But his stint as a manager in the majors was only on an interim basis and it didn’t last long.

Kimm was fired Sunday by the Chicago Cubs before the final game of another pitiful 90-loss season that was most certainly not his fault.

Informed before the game he would not be retained, Kimm stayed on to manage the regular-season finale against the Pirates, a game he knew would be emotional. The Cubs sent him out with a 7-3 win.

“I’m the type guy who cries at movies and cries at funerals if I know them or not. It’s a tricky day, but it’s part of the game,” Kimm said, adding he was just glad for the chance.

Hernandez sits out, avoids strikeout record

St. Louis Milwaukee’s Jose Hernandez sat out the season finale Sunday and finished with 188 strikeouts, one short of tying the major league record.

Bobby Bonds fanned 189 times in 1970. Hernandez appeared likely to break the mark, but Brewers manager Jerry Royster played him sparingly over the last week, saying media attention was making a “mockery” of the record.

Hernandez, who struck out 185 times last season, got his 188th strikeout on Sept. 18 but didn’t whiff in 12 at-bats thereafter. He played in only three of Milwaukee’s final 11 games.

Sasaki considers surgery

Anaheim, Calif. Seattle Mariners closer Kazuhiro Sasaki, who struggled in September, may undergo surgery to remove a bone chip from his right elbow. Sasaki plans to consult with his doctor in Japan to decide whether to have the operation, he said Sunday.