Breslow contradicts himself explaining why Red Sox fired Alex Cora and several other coaches

BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox beat the Orioles in Baltimore Sunday afternoon to notch Chad Tracy’s first win since he was promoted to interim manager. The WooSox skipper was named the Red Sox leader after the team fired Manager Alex Cora and several other coaches.

Red Sox President Sam Kennedy and Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow held a press conference Sunday morning to discuss their decision.

“Definitely was painful but we felt it was a necessary move, and we felt it necessary to take decisive action for the goal of a fresh start for the 2026 season,” Kennedy said. “We have full confidence in the players in that room to perform at the very highest level to get us back to playing baseball in October which is the goal.”

Kennedy and Breslow both thanked Cora for his eight years of leading the team. Cora won a World Series in his first season in the dugout in 2018. He is third all-time in Red Sox managerial wins.

“Alex will go down as one of the best managers in Red Sox history,” Kennedy said.

Reporters in the room at Camden Yards in Baltimore asked the two front office executives about the decision to fire Cora and five other coaches.

“We feel like these changes were warranted and were really excited for the chance for Chad (Tracy) to come in and be a consistent stabilizing voice and one that a majority of our player group is familiar with,” Breslow said. “The performance on the field is not what we expected. This is a decisive and convicted demonstration of the confidence we have in our player group.”

Breslow and Kennedy said it was a group decision, with Breslow leading the charge for changes. The former Red Sox relief pitcher seemed to contradict himself by the end. His comments earlier in the press conference said the coaching changes were “warranted,” but Breslow admitted the roster is flawed.

“Overall, the accountability for the roster falls on me. And this was a challenging roster to manage just given the position player group. That’s something that I acknowledged and acknowledged talking with Alex yesterday.”

The Red Sox players said they were shocked to hear their manager and other coaches, including Hitting Coach Peter Fatse, Third Base Coach Kyle Hudson, Bench Coach Ramón Vázquez, Assistant Hitting Coach Dillon Lawson, and Major League Hitting Strategy Coach Joe Cronin.

Connelly Early earned the win as the starting pitcher on Sunday. He said the team talked pregame about playing for one another.

“I just want to go out there and show I was confident out there,” Early said. “I think we did a really good job today and played some really good baseball and played the way AC would want us to play.”

Former Red Sox Captain Jason Varitek was “reassigned” to a different role in the organization. No word yet on if he accepted the new position.

Catcher Carlos Narvaez said Varitek was beloved and a mentor to him.

“He was like my second dad. Ton of love for him. I know he’s always going to be there for me and for everybody here.”

Narvaez added he and his teammates cannot control who manages the team, but they have to focus on playing better moving forward. He discussed having Chad Tracy step in to lead the club.

“I know he’s a great manager. I know it’s tough for him too, but we are on the same boat, and everyone feels confident that he is around,” Narvaez said. “This moment for everybody is tough but having a familiar face around is always good.”

Boston continues their road trip Monday night in Toronto against the Blue Jays.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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