Baltimore ? Mike Hargrove was fired Monday as manager of the Baltimore Orioles, one day after the team finished its fourth consecutive losing season under his direction and sixth straight overall.

Hargrove told the Associated Press in a telephone interview that he met Monday with team officials and was told of his dismissal.

“They said they weren’t going to offer me another contract,” Hargrove said. “I guess they wanted a different personality.”

Hargrove, 53, went 275-372 with the Orioles, including 71-91 this year. His departure did not come as a complete surprise, given that his contract ran through this season and the team never talked about an extension.

Jim Beattie and Mike Flanagan, the vice presidents who oversee the team’s baseball operations, are expected to quickly start the search for a new manager.

“On behalf of the Orioles organization, we want to thank Mike for his contributions to the ballclub and for the professional manner in which he handled the team,” Beattie said in a statement.

Before learning his fate, Hargrove wondered aloud if the duo would find someone with better credentials.

“I understand if they want to bring their own people in,” Hargrove said.

“And if they want to go in another direction, I understand that. But I’m not sure they can bring anyone in that can do a better job than what we do, or do a better job than we did this year.”

The Orioles were 57-59 Aug. 10, but faded after Sidney Ponson was traded and injuries began to mount.

Opening day starters David Segui, Marty Cordova, B.J. Surhoff and Jerry Hairston all played in fewer than 100 games, as did Melvin Mora, Baltimore’s lone representative in the All-Star game.

It all added up to a sixth straight fourth-place finish in the AL East.

Before being hired by Baltimore in November 1999, Hargrove won five division titles with the Cleveland Indians and twice took the long-suffering franchise to the World Series.

He was signed by the Orioles to guide an aging team with designs of making a run at the playoffs. But by July 2000, the team was deemed too old, and management embarked on a youth movement that remains an ongoing project.

Despite the losing, several players under 30 had good years, such as Jay Gibbons, Larry Bigbie and Luis Matos, and the team has stockpiled pitching at the minor-league level.

Hargrove’s managerial record stands at 996-963. It appears much of his staff will remain with the team.

“We will recommend to the person selected as manager that all of the members of the current coaching staff return, subject to input from the person selected as manager,” Beattie said.