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BALTIMORE — In a stunning overhaul of an underachieving organization, the Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora and five of his coaches Saturday.
The team appointed Worcester Red sox manager Chad Tracy as interim manager.
The news came hours after the team posted a lopsided 17-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. That victory snapped a four-game losing streak and followed a series-opening loss to the Orioles at the start of a critical six-game road trip. Cora and his coaches returned to the team hotel, the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore, where principal owner John Henry, team president/CEO Sam Kennedy and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow were waiting to inform Cora of the news.
“Incredibly difficult day,” Kennedy said. “We’ll discuss more tomorrow. Grateful to Alex for everything he has done for the organization and all the guys. We’re gonna move forward tomorrow.”
Also fired were hitting coach Pete Fatse, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson, third base coach/outfield instructor Kyle Hudson, bench coach Ramon Vázquez and major league hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin. Jason Varitek, who had served as game-planning coordinator and run prevention coach has been re-assigned to a new role, which will be announced at a later date. The coaches left the team hotel around 9 p.m. ET to return to Boston.
According to the Red Sox, Double-A manager Chad Epperson will join Tracy’s staff as a third base coach and Triple-A hitting coach Collin Hetzler will join the hitting staff. Pitching coach Andrew Bailey, bullpen coach Chris Holt, first base coach José Flores, assistant hitting coach John Soteropulos and catching coach Parker Guinn are among the Red Sox coaches who kept their jobs. More roles will be filled in the coming days.
Cora was in his eighth season in the Red Sox dugout. He managed them to a World Series title in his first year, 2018, before agreeing with the team to step away prior to the 2020 season after his involvement with the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal in 2017.
Cora was later re-hired before the 2021 season and promptly returned the Red Sox to the postseason, reaching the ALCS. But three seasons followed in which the Red Sox failed to post a winning record, including a last-place finish.
The Sox reached the playoffs last fall, but were eliminated quickly by the New York Yankees.
This season had seen the Sox compile one of the worst records in baseball, with both the starting rotation and lineup failing greatly. A punchless offense was last in MLB in homers before Saturday and the starters’ ERA ranked near the bottom. Cora operated as if things were normal when he returned to the hotel, received the news and “handled it like a professional,” Kennedy said.
Fatse had been under fire for a flat offense that not long ago, was limited to a single run or no runs in five of eight games. The Sox managed just three runs over the course of a three-game sweep at the hands of the Yankees.
Vázquez was one of Cora’s closest friends in the game, serving as his bench coach and a part of the coaching staff since 2018. Varitek has been a part of the organization for nearly 30 years. Hudson was regarded as one of top young coaches in the league.
More Red Sox coverage
- Sean McAdam, Chris Cotillo react to Red Sox firing Alex Cora | Fenway Rundown
- Red Sox’ Alex Cora went from first-year winner to survivor; Eventually, though, time ran out for him|Sean McAdam
- Former Red Sox outfielder says team should have fired Craig Breslow
- Who’s Chad Tracy? Red Sox interim manager replacing Alex Cora is in his fifth season with organization
- What John Henry said about the firing of Red Sox manager Alex Cora
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