Baseball analyst Steve Phillips has been fired by ESPN after admitting to an affair with an assistant at the cable network.

ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz said Sunday night the network determined Phillips' ability to be an effective analyst was "significantly and irreparably damaged."

Phillips took a leave of absence Wednesday after acknowledging the affair with 22-year-old production assistant Brooke Hundley.

According to a police report filed in Wilton, Conn., Hundley began calling Phillips' wife, Marni, on Aug. 5 after the former New York Mets general manager broke off the affair and sent her a letter graphically describing their relationship and Phillips' birthmarks.

-AP