Cubs' veteran manager Piniella to retire

Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella said on Tuesday he'll retire at the end of the season, ending a career of more than two decades as a Major League manager.

Piniella, 66, also enjoyed an 18-year career as a player.

He revealed his decision prior to Chicago's game against the Houston Astros and said he was looking forward to spending more time with his family.

"I've grown to love the city and the fans but at my age it will be time to enter a new phase in my life," Piniella said in a statement released by the team.

He said announcing his retirement now, just after the All-Star break, gives the team time to find a replacement.

Piniella is in the fourth and final year of his contract with the Cubs, who have struggled this year and have gone 102 years without a World Series title.

"I'm proud of our accomplishments during my time here and this will be a perfect way for me to end my career," he said. "But let me make one thing perfectly clear: our work is far from over.

"I want to keep the momentum going more than anything else and win as many games as we can to get back in this pennant race."

Piniella managed the New York Yankees (1986-88), Cincinnati Reds (1990-92), Seattle Mariners (1993-2002) and Tampa Bay (2003-05) before arriving in Chicago. He guided Cincinnati to a World Series title in 1990.

The Cubs said Piniella will retire as the 14th most successful manager in major league history in terms of games won.

Piniella, who played as a right-handed outfielder, was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1969 after batting .282, with 11 home runs and 68 RBIs with Kansas City.

He was traded to the Yankees in 1973 and ended his playing career with New York in 1984.

Piniella trails only Tony La Russa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre in victories among active managers.

His World Series title with the Reds in 1990 was the first for the team since 1976.

Piniella also achieved tremendous success in Seattle, where the Mariners amassed 840 wins and four post-season appearances in 10 years.

The Cubs brought in the fiery manager in 2006 to replace Dusty Baker.

Prior to that Piniella had become frustrated in Tampa Bay, where he didn't feel the team invested adequately in personnel.

In Chicago he delighted long-suffering Cubs fans by leading the team to 85 wins in 2007 -- a 19-game improvement from the previous season. They won 97 games the following season, but faded last season and are more than 10 games out of first place in their division.