Red Sox name Carl Willis new pitching coach

Carl Willis, seen here with the Mariners in 2011, is tasked with fixing the Red Sox pitching staff. Getty Images

By Jack Andrade

May 9, 2015

Less than a minute to read

The Red Sox named Carl Willis the team’s new pitching coach Saturday.

Willis joins the Red Sox from the Columbus Clippers, the AAA affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. In 11 seasons as a major league pitching coach between Cleveland and Seattle, Willis worked with C.C. Sabathia, Cliff Lee, and Felix Hernandez during their Cy Young Award-winning seasons.

The Red Sox fired Juan Nieves Thursday after a disastrous start to the season on the mound. At the time of Willis’ hiring, Boston’s 5.02 team earned run average ranked among the worst in major league baseball. Rick Porcello (4.38) is the only starting pitcher in the rotation with a sub-five ERA through six turns in the rotation.