Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine was fired Oct. 4, 2012, a day after the regular season ended. The Red Sox finished with a 69-93 record. That was the worst season by the Red Sox since 1965, when they only won 62 games. All of Boston cheered when Valentine was fired. Fast-forward a year, and the Red Sox are World Series champions. What sparked this fast turnaround?
After the 2012 season, the Red Sox were in shambles. They had no manager and just finished last in the AL East. The Sox were going into the offseason just wanting to have a winning record again. The first move came October 21st, 2012, when Boston hired new Manager John Farrell. Farrell was Boston’s former pitching coach and finally brought back stability in the clubhouse.
The year before there were many distractions in the clubhouse. On July 26, 2012, Boston management held a meeting with the players. Stars Adrian Gonzalez and Dustin Pedroia voiced their displeasure with Valentine. Afterward, there were many fights between Valentine and his players. Boston was in dire need of new leadership, and Farrell brought a winning attitude to Boston, eventually claiming 2013 Manager of the Year.
The next part of the equation was to add players from the free agent market. The Sox shipped a lot of the payroll in a nine-player trade. Top-paid players Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Beckett were sent to Los Angeles in August 2012. With money to spend, the Red Sox did not hold back in the market. Big names Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino and Ryan Dempster all signed with Boston. Playoff heroes Koji Uehara and Jonny Gomes were also signed. To avoid mistakes in the past, none of them were signed to huge contracts like their predecessors.
All of those key signees and Red Sox stars David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury meshed together to have a great season. Boston finished with the best record in baseball at 97-65. The team that a year ago was arguing in the clubhouse now played as bearded brothers with a chance at the World Series title.
Wednesday, they finally won the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. There were many postseason heroes like Koji Uehara, who was named MVP of the American League Championship Series with three saves and a win in Game 2 of the ALCS. Newcomers Victorino, Gomes and Napoli combined for 22 RBIs in the postseason. David Ortiz hit five home runs and had an average of .353. Two of those homers came in the World Series where Ortiz was named MVP of the series. Overall, they played like a team on a mission. They all seemed to be on the same page and knew what they had to do.
This new team came out of nowhere and clinched the World Series at Fenway Park for the first time since 1918. Boston seemed to have no hope a year ago, but a few tweaks can change a team dramatically. The Red Sox changed their philosophy. Management kept key pieces that helped win the World Series in 2004 and 2007 and mixed them with new inexpensive talent from free agency. This method doesn’t always pan out, as shown by the 2012 Marlins, but sometimes it turns into magic. Boston caught magic in 2013.
