Five months ago, the Boston Red Sox exuded organizational charisma amid a season quickly spiraling out of control after the firing of World Series-winning manager Alex Cora.
Yet after one of the most surprising comeback seasons in their recent history, the Red Sox are headed to the American League playoffs and doubling down on the leadership team that got them there.
The Red Sox formally named Chad Tracy their permanent manager after guiding them to a 74-55 record on an interim basis and exercised a pair of options on once-embattled president of baseball operations Craig Breslow through 2030 in an announcement Tuesday, Sept. 22.
Tracy's elevation to the permanent role was largely expected after the Red Sox rose from a 10-17 start that led to Cora's
firing to a memorable summer that included a 15-game winning streak and a 21-4 record in July that vaulted them firmly into the AL's No. 2 wild card slot. They are expected to open the playoffs for the second consecutive season in the best-of-three wild card series against the rival New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
Breslow's grip on the franchise seemed to be swaying after he prevailed in a power struggle over Cora following a largely lost winter in which lineup bulwark Alex Bregman was lost to the Chicago Cubs, among other misses. Yet his self-proclaimed "pivot to run prevention" paid off as the club continues developing young starters, most notably burgeoning rookie ace Payton Tolle and fellow useful lefty Jake Bennett.
“Craig and Chad are two exceptionally talented leaders who have earned these opportunities in very different ways,” club president Sam Kennedy said in a statement released by the club. “Over the last three years, we have watched Craig bring clarity, discipline, and conviction to the work of building our baseball operation. Chad was asked to step into a difficult situation with little notice, but the trust he immediately commanded at the major league level was earned through years of work across our organization. What this team has accomplished over the past several months has been historic.
"Results matter greatly in this business, but so do judgment, character, and the ability to bring out the best in others. Craig and Chad have demonstrated all of those qualities, and they have earned our confidence in leading us forward."
Breslow, 46, a reliever on Boston's 2013 World Series champion club, was hired in October 2023 and has received largely mixed results in the years since, although the club has qualified for the playoffs in consecutive postseasons for the first time since 2016-2018. Tracy, the son of longtime major league manager Jim Tracy, was the longtime manager for the Class AAA Worcester Red Sox, yet has earned acclaim from both his former minor league charges and veterans on the current Boston club.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Red Sox give Chad Tracy permanent title, extend Craig Breslow through 2030
