Scioscia won't return as Angels manager, ending 19-year tenure

Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia announced Sunday that he would not return in 2019, ending his 19-year tenure with the club.

Scioscia made the announcement after the Angels wrapped up the 2018 season with a 5-4 win over the Oakland Athletics. They finished with a record of 80-82, their third straight losing season.

Scioscia's looming departure had been reported earlier in the season, but he had declined to confirm it before Sunday. The former Los Angeles Dodgers catcher was in the final year of his contract.

During the game, Scioscia sat on the bench and talked with his staff, while first-base coach Alfredo Griffin stood in Scioscia's usual spot to the right of the dugout steps. Later, third-base coach Dino Ebel took Griffin's place.

Scioscia guided the Angels to their first World Series title in 2002, his third season as manager. The club also won five American League West division titles in the six seasons between 2004 and 2009. In two of those years, the Angels made the American League Championship Series -- losing to the Chicago White Sox in 2005 and the New York Yankees in 2009.

After a five-year absence from the postseason, the Angels rebounded to win 98 games in 2014 to secure the American League's best regular season. However, they were swept out of the American League Division Series by the Kansas City Royals and have not been back to the postseason since.

"The dedication and commitment Mike Scioscia has given Angels Baseball over the last 19 years greatly contributed to our evolution into an elite Organization," Angels owner Arte Moreno said in a statement. "We will always be grateful and proud that the Angels played a part in his Hall of Fame career."

In all, Scioscia managed 3,078 regular season games in his 19 seasons as Angels skipper, winning 1,650 and losing 1,428. He also went 21-27 in 48 postseason games.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.