Red Sox Manager Chad Tracy’s Team-First Approach Part of Historic Second-Half Comeback
· Yahoo Sports
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The Red Sox are in a much different place now compared to early June. Down on their luck, the team was in the basement of the AL East, with no way out. Playoff hopes dimmed as they looked lost.
Fast forward to July 24, and, with timely hitting, lights-out pitching, and a new, motivated manager, the Red Sox went through a remarkable second-half surge. Boston now owns one of the top Wild Card spots.
It took a while to get to where they are, including a 15-game win streak that recently ended. Efficiency is key, and it all starts at the top. Leadership is valued, which is something Chad Tracy doesn’t take for granted.
In April, the team removed Alex Cora from the manager position and brought in Tracy, the manager of Triple-A Worcester. The son of Jim Tracy, Chad led Worcester to a 357-331 record. The transition didn’t start well, trading wins and losses. However, following a 3-2 loss against the Rockies, something changed.
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Tracy realized he needed to step up and lead this lost team. Not keen on team meetings, he made an exception.
“I’m not going to turn on you,” Tracy said via The Boston Globe. "I know what you’re going through. I’ve been here. All these losses, we’re doing it together, and we’re going to find a way to win together. When you guys are rolling in the [expletive], we’re rolling in it with you. And when we get to the point where all the flowers come out, we’ll be there with you.”
Success didn’t happen overnight. The Red Sox would take a 2-1 series edge against the Rockies, sweep the Yankees, and lose two-of-three against the Nationals. It would take a while to trust the process. But when things started to click, the Red Sox went from teams laughing at their misfortunes to fearing facing them.
During their historic win streak, the Red Sox swept the Angels, White Sox, Mets, and Rays. Boston ranks near the top of MLB's rankings in home runs, RBIs, runs, batting average, OBP, OPS, and slugging. Sonny Gray is one of baseball’s top pitchers. Meanwhile, after struggling in the first half of the season, offseason trade pickup Caleb Durbin has been a spark plug for the team.
It helps to have someone like Tracy at the front lines of battle every night.
“Win or lose, we know our manager, the guy who’s leading us, is going to be the same guy every single day,” said Durbin. “That goes a long way, especially in a market like this.”
The team relies on more walks, showcasing skills, and uses the pitching staff to its maximum ability. From teaching patience and adapting to the ABS System to having voluntary workouts, Tracy’s philosophy of coaching, different from other teams and what history has taught us, has managed to motivate more than corrupt.
“What we are doing, what we have done, it’ll be for me to get across to the players. It’s not, ‘Cool, special run, now it’s over,’ ” said Tracy. “It needs to be, ‘This is who we are now, and how we play baseball.’ So whenever we do lose, let’s go again the next day.”