The Pittsburgh Pirates announced that Jim Tracy has been hired as the team's new manager. Tracy, who was officially introduced during an afternoon press conference, signed a three-year deal, although financial terms were not released. Pittsburgh was in need of a new field boss after the team decided that interim skipper Pete Mackanin would not be back for the 2006 season. The 49-year-old Tracy, who is the 37th manager in Pirates history, had been the skipper of the Los Angeles Dodgers before mutually parting ways with the club last Monday. In five seasons with Los Angeles, Tracy went 427-383, which included a 93-win season in 2004 that saw the Dodgers capture the NL West. The division title was the club's first since the 1995 campaign. However, the Dodgers ended the 2005 season with a 71-91 record, the first time the team has been under .500 since 1999 when they were 77-85. "The Pirates are extremely pleased to have Jim Tracy manage our club for the next three years," said senior vice president and general manager Dave Littlefield. "With his experience and winning record as a major league manager, we feel he is the perfect fit to manage our team." Tracy, who played in 87 big league games with the Chicago Cubs in 1980-81 and batted .249 with three home runs and 14 runs batted in, was a long-time minor league manager and a bench coach in the majors before taking the position in Los Angeles. Mackanin took over in Pittsburgh when Lloyd McClendon was fired on September 6. He guided the Pirates to a record of 12-14 down the stretch and Pittsburgh finished 2005 with a record of 67-95 for the franchise's 13th consecutive losing season.