Boston Red Sox
“It’s been a whirlwind.”
Chad Tracy won his first game as interim coach of the Red Sox on Sunday. Jimmy Sabaugh/Getty Images
When he took questions from the Baltimore media on Sunday afternoon, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy admitted he had just emerged from an ambush by his club’s players.
Sunday marked Tracy’s first MLB win as a manager, as well as the 500th win of his professional career.
As such, Boston players showered their new manager with a mixture of beer, shaving cream and more after the Red Sox’s 5-3 win over the Orioles.
“It was great,” Tracy said after the game on NESN. “The guys partied with me, threw me some beer and stuff.” “As usual, but it was really special.”
Tracy – Named interim manager of the Red Sox on Saturday after Boston Alex Cora and several of his coaches were fired – He had an eventful 24 hours, to say the least.
The 40-year-old Tracy was in the middle of a game as manager of the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox when he received a phone call from Boston’s higher-ups. He needed to get to Baltimore, where his new club is scheduled to play the final game of its series against the Orioles on Sunday afternoon.
“It was a whirlwind,” Tracy admitted before the game.
Despite the expected excitement rooted in getting his first opportunity as an MLB manager, Tracy acknowledged the mixed emotions that came with Saturday’s news, considering the dismissal that cleared the way for him to join the Boston club.
“I went silent for a moment,” Tracy said of his conversation with Breslow on Saturday. “My immediate thought was Alex and Ramon [Vazquez] And some people I got to know very well. But also, the excitement and heart get going. I’m like, “What an amazing opportunity.” But even in that moment, I walk the line between happiness and inner conflict, [thinking] About the people I care about.”
Despite their battle with those feelings, Tracy and the Red Sox posted a back-to-back win over Baltimore.
Buoyed by a strong start from Connelly Early (6.2 innings, two runs allowed), the Red Sox were aggressive against Baltimore — stealing four bases in five attempts.
On a Red Sox team that features a lot of young talent, Tracy said he plans to play to the strengths of that group — especially when it comes to capitalizing on the athleticism of the roster.
“The style, I think it depends on your team members,” he said. “If you have [specific] The style and the players don’t fit that style, that would be stupid. I think it’s about adapting to your team. What do you have? What are you capable of doing?
“We have the athleticism, we have the speed, so I look at it like, ‘Okay, we have to put people on base. Let’s move, let’s be aggressive. That’s what worked last year when things were going, put these guys on base and we start wreaking havoc. “So I look at it like this: ‘What’s on your team and how do you best use the tools and skills on your team to help your team?’”
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