The Red Sox manager, Alex Cora, has been fired, along with several other staff members. Chad Tracy, manager of the AAA Worcester Red Sox, will act as interim manager of the team.
The firing came Saturday night, just hours after the Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 17-1.
In a post on social media just after 4 a.m., Cora shared a brief message.
Red Sox principal owner John Henry thanked Cora in a statement, saying that “They have been part of this club in a way that goes beyond the field, and they will always have our respect and gratitude.”
“Alex Cora led this organization to one of the greatest seasons in Red Sox history in 2018, and for that, and the many years that followed, he will always have our deepest gratitude,” Henry said in the statement.”He has had a lasting impact on this team and on this city. He has led on and off the field in so many important ways. These decisions are never easy, but this one is especially difficult given what Alex has meant to the Red Sox since the day he arrived.”
Red Sox management held a news conference Sunday morning. Henry was not in attendance at the media session.
Cora led the Red Sox to a World Series in 2018 in his first year with the team as manager. He went 610-541 in seven-plus seasons in Boston. Cora also spent four seasons as a player in Boston, winning a World Series in 2007 as a player.
The other fired staff members include hitting coach Peter Faste, bench coach Ramón Vázquez, third base coach Kyle Hudson, Major League hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin and assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson. Jason Varitek, the coach of game planning and run prevention, will be reassigned to a new role, according to the Red Sox. There have been conflicting reports if Varitek will accept that role.
Chad Epperson, manager of the AA Portland Sea Dogs, will serve as interim third-base coach.
Tracy met with reporters before Sunday’s game. He said the promotion came with mixed emotions.
“Excited, right? But also honoring the people that were before me who were mentors to me. But as we creep closer to gametime excited about it,” Tracy said.
As a player, Tracy played eight years in the minors but never reached Major League Baseball. He said he already has relationships with many members of the team through his role in Worcester.
Tracy also said that he spoke with Alex Cora Saturday night.
“I spoke with him briefly last night. I’ll keep the contents of it between he and I, other than saying support on both ends,” Tracy said.
