The writing was on the wall. After weeks of speculation, the Nationals made the official announcement Saturday afternoon: Frank Robinson would not be back as manager next year. As Robinson had expressed interest in returning and had requested a three-year contract extension, the decision of the Nationals to decline his request means that, effectively, the 71-year-old was fired. He has announced that he will not be seeking further employment as a manager.

To say that Frank is a legend of the game would be an understatement (we paid tribute to his accomplishments earlier this season). He hit 586 home runs in his career, good for 6th all-time. He’s the only player in Major League history to win an MVP in both the AL and the NL. In 1974, he became baseball’s first African-American manager.

Robinson was a skipper for parts of 16 seasons, collecting the AL Manager of the Year Award in 1989 with the Orioles. Only 45 other managers have more than his 1065 wins. There’s no denying that the man has had an impressive managerial career, one that demands respect and admiration. Yet we would be remiss to pass over the “L” column in his stat line.

Frank’s final tip of the cap captured by Flickr user dontdothisathome