The Milwaukee Brewers have named Ken Macha their new manager. 

Macha, 58, managed the Oakland Athletics for four seasons and the A's won two division titles and reached the American League Championship Series in 2006.

"He's never had a losing season," said Brewers general manager Doug Melvin, who had also interviewed former Diamondbacks manager Bob Brenly and former Mets manager Willie Randolph before settling on Macha.

"He's got a degree in civil engineering and a black belt in Tae Kwan Do and we're hoping that he can get a master's degree in sustaining success here."

"This is a tremendous opportunity," Macha said in his introductory press conference Thursday.  "I was just pleased to have been considered.

Melvin had offered Macha the job when Macha was the A's bench coach in 2002, but he turned it down.

In four seasons as Oakland's manager, Macha directed the Athletics to a 368-280 record (.568) and never finished lower than second in the AL West.

His teams went 5-7 in the playoffs, losing the 2003 American League Division Series to the wild card Boston Red Sox in five games, (3-2).

In 2006, the A's swept the Minnesota Twins in three games in the ALDS, but were swept by the Detroit Tigers in the ALCS.

Macha was fired two days after that loss, and A's general manager Billy Beane cited a decline in relationships with players (including former Oakland catcher and current Brewer Jason Kendall) as a reason for his termination.

"That happened two days after we lost and it was an emotional situation," Macha explained Thursday.  "I think if you talk to those guys now they'll have a different story."

Melvin insisted that the Brewers were committed to keeping interim manager Dale Svuem with the club in some capacity, and Macha spoke very highly of Svuem.

Svuem took over for Ned Yost, who was fired with 12 games remaining in the regular season.