Red Sox Fire John Farrell
BOSTON (CBS) -- After a second straight early exit from the playoffs, John Farrell has been fired by the Boston Red Sox.
The team parted ways with their manager of the last five seasons, as Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski announced that Farrell would not be back for the 2018 season on Wednesday.
Farrell had one season remaining on his contract.
The Red Sox were expected to compete for a World Series in 2017, but had a whirlwind season that featured more fireworks off of the the field than on it. They won 93 games during the regulars season, but the offense struggled for large stretches without David Ortiz in the heart of the lineup and they finished dead last in the AL in home runs. David Price's off-field spat with Dennis Eckersley on the team plane in June dominated much of the headlines for a two-month stretch, leading many to believe Farrell had lost the clubhouse. Things didn't look much better when the Red Sox were accused of using an Apple Watch to steal signals from the New York Yankees, which earned them an undisclosed fine from Major League Baseball.
Farrell managed Boston to a 432-378 regular season record during his tenure as manager, leading the team to three postseason berths. That included a World Series title in 2013, Farrell's first year on the Red Sox bench.
Hopes were high when Farrell replaced Bobby Valentine in October of 2012, and he immediately brought the team out of the depths of the American League as the Red Sox won 97 games during the 2013 regular season to claim the AL East. After a four-game series win over the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS, Boston beat the Detroit Tigers in a dramatic six-game ALCS to advance to the fall classic. They won Game 1 of the World Series against the Cardinals but fell into a 2-1 series when they dropped Game 3 in St. Louis on a controversial interference call at third base in the ninth inning.
Undeterred, Boston won the next three games to capture their third World Series title since 2004 and first at Fenway Park since 1918. It was an incredible turnaround for a team that finished in last place the season prior, but that glory did not last long.
Boston followed their 2013 title with two straight last-place finishes, losing 91 games in 2014 and going just 78-84 in 2015. Farrell missed the final months of the 2015 season as he battled Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma They won 93 games and the AL East in each of the last two seasons, but their stay in the playoffs were short lived as they were swept out of the Divisional Round by the Cleveland Indians in 2016 and fell to the Houston Astros in four games in 2017.
Overall, Boston was 12-11 in the playoffs under Farrell.
