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What Chad Tracy said after his first win as Red Sox manager
"It's been a whirlwind."
As he fielded questions from the media in Baltimore on Sunday afternoon, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy acknowledged that he had just emerged from a clubhouse ambush by his players.
Sunday marked Tracy’s first MLB win as a manager, as well as the 500th victory of his pro career.
As such, Boston’s players showered their new manager with a concoction of beer, shaving cream, and more after the Red Sox’ 5-3 win over the Orioles.
“It was awesome. The guys celebrated it with me, dumped some beer on me and stuff,” Tracy said postgame on NESN. “Like usual, but it was really special.”
Tracy — appointed as Red Sox interim manager on Saturday after Boston fired Alex Cora and several of his coaches — has had an eventful 24 hours, to say the least.
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The 40-year-old Tracy was in the middle of a game as manager of the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox when he received the call from Boston’s top brass. He needed to get to Baltimore, with his new club set to play its series finale against the Orioles on Sunday afternoon.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” Tracy acknowledged pregame.
Despite the expected excitement rooted in getting his first shot as MLB manager, Tracy acknowledged the mixed emotions that came with Saturday’s news, considering the firings that cleared the way for him to join Boston’s club.
“I was silent for a second,” Tracy said of his conversation with Breslow on Saturday. “My immediate thought was of Alex, Ramon [Vazquez] and some of the people that I’ve gotten to know very well. But also, the excitement and the heart gets going. I’m like, ‘What an amazing opportunity.’ But even in that moment, toeing the line between happiness and internally battling, [thinking] about people I care about.”
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Despite battling with those emotions, Tracy and the Red Sox secured a series win against Baltimore.
Anchored by a strong start from Connelly Early (6.2 innings, 2 runs allowed), the Red Sox were aggressive against Baltimore — stealing four bases on five tries.
On a Red Sox team featuring plenty of young talent, Tracy said he plans to play to this group’s strengths — especially when it comes to tapping into the roster’s athleticism.
“Style, I think it’s predicated on who’s on your team,” he said. “If you have a [specific] style and the players don’t fit that style, that can be foolish. I think it’s about adapting to your team. What do you have? What are you capable of doing?
“We have athletes, we have speed, so I look at that like, ‘Well, we’ve got to get people on base. Let’s move, let’s be aggressive. That’s what worked last year when it was going, You get these guys on base and we start creating havoc.’ So I look at it like, ‘What is on your team and how do you use the tools and skills of what’s on your team the best way to help your team?’ ”
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