Chad Tracy isn’t the first Red Sox manager, although he is the first to take over mid-season in a while. He’s also the first mid-season replacement since the ownership group led by John Henry purchased the team. Through 26 games, Tracy is sitting on a record of 12-14 after Alex Cora took the team to a 10-17 record in his final stint as manager.
While it’s tough to compare the value a manager brings or doesn’t bring to the game, let’s take a look at how the other mangers of this most recent era of the Sox
did through their first 26 games in charge.
2002: Grady Little
In the same 26 game sample as Tracy has, Grady’s squad went 19-7. The winning pitcher in game 26 was Sun-Woo Kim who tossed 0.1 innings in a game started by Derek Lowe. Ugueth Urbina got the save. Victor Zambrano, before he was traded for Scott Kazmir, would blow the save and take the loss for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
The 2002 Red Sox would go on to win 93 games but not appear in the playoffs.
2004: Terry Francona
After 26 games in his first season as Sox skipper, Boston was 15-7 and the future beloved manager would still be called “Francoma.” That game, on May 4th, was actually the fifth game in a five-game losing streak. The mood wasn’t great. Oddly enough, Derek Lowe started this game too. Future NESN commentator Lenny DiNardo would pitch along with Red Sox Hall of Famer Mike Timlin and Mark “Mystery” Malaska.
These Red Sox would win 98 games, reach the playoffs as the Wild Card, and, you know, break the curse and win the World Series.
Francona’s two World Series rings would buy him a lot of rope (plus the team was good!) and he’d be manager for a while longer, through the 2011 season.
2012: Bobby Valentine
Now we’re getting into some tough times. 2012 was a disaster! Right?
Well, once again the Red Sox would be in the midst of a five-game losing streak. This time it would be game four, after an 8-2 loss that would put the Sox at 11-15. This would be the second five-game losing streak of the young season.
Aaron Cook would try to cover home plate and get spiked by Chris Davis. He’d leave for stitches and come back onto the field. However he’d allow 8 runs in 2.2 while bleeding, so maybe he should have just left the game? Aaron Cook in the year 2026 people. Let’s remember some guys.
Boston would end up finishing the season 69-93 after a famous trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
2013: John Farrell
We’re kinda back to the good times. John Farrell would take over as manager and his team would surge to 18-8.
Jon Lester didn’t have it, allowing 6 runs in 6 innings. Unfortunately for Boston, they’d make that up against the Blue Jays only for a rare bad outing by Junichi Tazawa to cause them to lose after all. Steve Delabar would blow a save for the Jays only to be awarded the win.
Boston would win 97 games (65 losses) and another World Series. Farrell would oversee a couple last place seasons and a couple first place seasons but still find himself fired after 2017.
2018: Alex Cora
There are no two ways about it: Cora started hot. The 2018 Red Sox were good from start to finish, though they did lose on Opening Day. They’d sit at 19-7 after 26 games, suffering a rare loss that year, falling 12-6 to the Rays. David Price would allow 6 runs to start the game and Brian Johnson would mop up for two innings to end it while allowing 5 more, so it wasn’t always as lopsided as it appears.
This team would, of course, win 108 games and lose just 54. Plus that little World Series title. Don’t do the math on how many losses the Sox already have this year.
Chad Tracy is doing…a little better than Bobby Valentine. He hasn’t had a major trade yet to send an All-Star away but the difference in their records after 26 games sure doesn’t make it look like he has much room to work with. Plus Tracy has to account for the 10-17 record inherited from Cora for that final season total.
If they keep going at a 12-14 pace, a .461 winning percentage, that’s 50 more wins this year. How does 72-90 feel? Yeah. Not great. And that’s before a possible fire sale. The first season luck for Francona, Farrell, and Cora doesn’t seem to be here (yet?) for Chad Tracy.
