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Lovullo to Manage Diamondbacks

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Arizona radio sportcaster John Gambadoro reported via Twitter today that Red Sox Bench Coach Torey Lovullo will indeed become the next manager of the Diamondbacks. Lovullo is known to have a long relationship with the Diamondbacks new General Manager, Mike Hazen, who left the Sox for the top job with Arizona last month. Lovullo and Hazen worked together in the Cleveland organization.Lovullo is to be announced as the Arizona manager on Monday. He replaces former manager Chip Hale, who was fired October 3.

Torey Lovullo, Bench Coach


Bench Coach Torey Lovullo
flickr photo shared by Corn Farmer under a Creative Commons ( BY-ND ) license

Lovullo will be the third Red Sox to join the Diamondbacks in the space of three weeks. After Hazen, it was announced that Sox VP of Amateur & International Scouting, Amiel Sawdaye, would join the club as its new Assistant GM.

Lovullo Stands Out

None by the most ardent fans typically know much about the Sox bench coaches. You may recall, albeit vaguely, names like Tim Bogar, DeMarlo Hale, and Brad Mills.

But fans no doubt feel they got to know Lovullo better when he stepped in admirably for the ailing John Farrell late last season. His loyalty to his friend and to the team (he agreed to forego any managerial opportunities to stay with the club in 2016) was overshadowed only, perhaps, by the club’s improved performance under his guidance. That MLB-level managerial experience only added to his appeal for the Arizona job.

More news of interest for Red Sox fans:

  • Find me a Red Sox fan who doesn’t wish the best for former Sox manager Terry Francona. He’s just a beloved character around RSN and with good reason. Today comes word that the Cleveland Indians feel at least the same way, extending Tito’s contract for 2019 and 2020. Since joining The Tribe in 2013, Francona has led his team to a winning record every season, including, of course, the American League Championship in 2016. Over his 16-year managerial career, Francona is 1,381-1,209 (.533), the fifth best mark among actives.
  • The Indians have been busy, not surprisingly picking up their $12 million option for Carlos Santana in 2017. At the same time, Cleveland has chosen to part company with one-time Red Sox Coco Crisp, who turned 37 this week. The option to retain Crisp for next season would have cost the club $13 million; they’ll pay $750,000 to let him go.
  • Michael Levin on The Huffington Post digs into the Red Sox’ continued efforts to bring younger fans into the game. The strategy has three parts: provide greater access to Red Sox games, enhance the family experience at Fenway, and celebrate and strengthen the game of baseball in the community. The piece explains some the strategic thinking behind such attractions as “Wally’s Clubhouse” and the mascot’s little sister, Tessy (the brainchild of Linda Pizzuti Henry, wife of Sox principal owner John Henry).

Cubs are World Champions

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When it comes to the World Series, there’s not much more RSNStats can add to what you already know. On Wednesday, Joe Maddon‘s Chicago Cubs completed a thrilling, improbable conclusion to this year’s Fall Classic with an epic Game 7 win over Terry Francona‘s Cleveland Indians.

Better than most, Red Sox Nation understands the poignancy of this moment in history for Chicago and its fans.

Everyone is entitled to a well-deserved break, but with the end of the World Series comes the official start of  the offseason and the lead up to Opening Day 2017. Throughout the offseason you’ll find up-to-date countdown timers on the right side of this page (or down below if you’re reading on a mobile device) with key MLB dates, including of course, the start of the Red Sox season. Check back for more key dates, like reporting dates for Spring Training, as they become available.

Now, on to some news especially for Red Sox fans:

  • There was the usual flurry of personnel announcement around baseball Thursday now that the Fall Classic is behind us. For Boston, the big news was the club’s decision to exercise its option to retain Clay Buchholz for a reported career-high $13.5 million dollars. The Red Sox also decided to part company with Andover High School alum Ryan Hanigan, choosing to pay him $800,000 rather than retain him for $3.75 million. Hanigan, you may recall, came to the Red Sox via a trade with the Padres in December 2014 for Will Middlebrooks.
  • Despite interviewing four for the job, there’s a view that the Diamondbacks manager’s job will go either to Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo or Arizona Triple-A manager Phil Nevin.
  • Baseball America’s updated look at Red Sox prospects ranks Andrew Benintendi at the top of the heap, leaping over Yoan Moncada, who ranked second. The report says Benintendi “has a chance to be a perennial all-star who competes for batting titles.” Third baseman Rafael Devers and pitchers Michael Kopech and Jason Groome, rounded out the club’s Top 5.
  • Expect to pay $1 to $5 more at Fenway next season. The club announced that 19 of 26 ticketed sections at Red Sox home park will go up by about 3%. Ticket prices at Fenway have gone up in three of the last four years. They’re currently the highest average ticket prices in the major leagues. Ticket sales for 2017 begin on December 10.
  • The Sox announced the next Baseball Winter Weekend will take place January 20-22 at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut. With the transition of RSNStats World Headquarters from Las Vegas to New England this fall, I’m putting this event on my calendar to check out in person for once.

World Series Resumes Tonight

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It’s the final weekend of baseball as the World Series begins again, this time in Chicago, with the Cubs and Indians knotted at 1-1. In eight of the last ten series that were tied at one game apiece, the winner of Game 1 (in this case, the Indians) has won the championship. Indeed, Game 1 winners have won the Fall Classic 70 total times (63.1% of the time), including 12 of the last 13 and 17 of the last 19 times.

In their long franchise histories, both the Cubs and Indians have eight times before found themselves in a 1-1 tie in a best-of-seven postseason series. In the previous seven times the Cubs have won just one of those series (the 2016 National League Championship Series) while the Indians won the whole thing four times (though they’ve lost each of their last three such series).

The 2016 series is guaranteed at least three more games with starts by Kyle Hendricks, John Lackey, and Jon Lester for Chicago versus Josh Tomlin, Corey Kluber, and Trevor Bauer for the Indians, respectively.

Mookie Betts


Gold Glove Finalist Mookie Betts
flickr photo shared by Keith Allison under a Creative Commons ( BY-SA ) license

On to some news and notes now for Red Sox fans:

  • Gold Glove finalists for defensive excellence were announced this week and the hometown team were well represented by Dustin Pedroia, Mookie Betts, and Jackie Bradley. The Red Sox were one of eight teams this season with at least three nominees. The Cubs and Tigers had an MLB-best four finalists each. Gold Glove winners will be announced November 8.
  • It’s the offseason so that means a perennial check in on Pablo Sandoval‘s weight. Here’s the latest.
  • What a postseason already for one-time Red Sox Andrew Miller. The Indians reliever has racked up 24 strikeouts already, the second most in a single postseason by a reliever since Francisco Rodriguez collected 28 with the Angels in 2002. Miller’s 13.2 scoreless postseason innings are eighth most in major league history. With his next out Miller can tie Hall of Famer Whitey Ford in 1961 for seventh most such innings. The all-time record is by Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson, who went 27.0 IP in the 1905 postseason. Red Sox great and Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez had the 17.0 scoreless postseason innings in 1999, good for fourth most in MLB history.
  • Of the 50 players on the Indians and Cubs roster just six have World Series experience, five of those with the Red Sox: Coco Crisp (2007), Mike Napoli (2013), Lackey (2013), Lester (2007 & 2013), and David Ross (2013). Ben Zobrist also experienced the Fall Classic before with the Rays in 2008 and the Royals last season.

And finally, while today is October 28 and the nine year anniversary of the 2007 Red Sox Championship, it’s hard to believe that 12 years ago today we were still dazed at the reality of the first Sox Championship in 84 years. Re-live the memories through the eyes of the New York Daily News, which thoughtfully re-posted their story from that day in 2004.


Indians Take Eary Series Lead

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The 112th World Series got underway Tuesday with a 6-0 shutout win by the Indians over the Cubs at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

Yesterday’s was the 54th World Series game in Cubs’ history, but just the third time they’ve been shutout. Their last shutout in a Fall Classic game was September 5, 1918 versus the Red Sox (also a Game 1). No team had been shutout in the first game of the World Series since the Reds blanked the Athletics 7-0 in 1990.

Though national popular sentiment seems focused on the Cubs, the Indians are just as focused on winning. As he showed in Game 1 of the American League Division Series against Boston, Tribe manager Terry Francona knows the value of that initial win. Indeed, every Game 1 winner since 2010 and all but two since 1997 have gone on to win the series.

That said, too much shouldn’t be read into the shutout loss. The Cubs have proven themselves resilient this season. What’s more, of the 16 teams in major league history to suffer the indignity of a shutout loss in the first game of a World Series, nine have gone on to win the whole thing.

Worth noting: On the threat of rain the forecast for Cleveland, Major League Baseball moved the start time for Wednesday’s Game 2 up an hour. First pitch will be at 7:08 ET/4:08 PT.

On to some news and notes for Red Sox fans now:

  • Old friends, Part I: Cubs ace Jon Lester was charged with three earned runs and his first-ever World Series loss Tuesday. Lester had not allowed more than 1 ER in three previous such starts, all with the Red Sox.
  • Old friends, Part II: What a moment last night when Indians reliever Andrew Miller struck out Chicago’s David Ross with two outs and the tying runs on base. Lester, Miller, and Ross (not to mention Cleveland’s Mike Napoli) were, of course, part of Boston’s 2013 championship team.
  • In case you missed it, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald recounts how the Theo Epstein/Joe Maddon tandem in Chicago was close to getting together in Boston back in 2003, before Epstein hired Francona. It’s an interesting, albeit cursory look at the process of hiring a team manager. For his part, Maddon says Francona was ultimately the right decision for the Sox, “I thought Tito was more prepared for that moment than I was at that time.”
  • There won’t be a General Manager to replace Mike Hazen, who left the left the Sox to run Diamondbacks baseball. Instead, Boston president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski promoted Eddie Romero Jr. to Senior VP and Assistant GM, where he’ll join Brian O’Halloran, who has the same title. Romero, 37, was previously Vice President for International Scouting for the club.
  • Meanwhile, Amiel Sawdaye, the Red Sox VP of International and Amateur Scouting and a potential Sox GM candidate himself, has decided to follow Hazen to Arizona where he’ll be an Assistant GM. Speculation continues that Hazen will also be talking to popular Sox Bench Coach Torey Lovullo about managing the D-backs.

Ready for 2016 Fall Classic

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The 112th World Series begins Tuesday in Cleveland. The Indians (94-67) will go with Corey Kluber in Game 1 versus the Cubs (103-58). Chicago manager Joe Maddon has yet to announce his starter for the series, the Cubs first such appearance since 1945.No matter which team wins, Red Sox fans can attest, it will be something special for their fan base. Both teams have the dubious honor of owning the longest winless streaks in their respective leagues: 68 years for Cleveland and 108 years for Chicago.

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Indians history traces back to Grand Rapids in 1884, though the club moved to Cleveland to play in the new American League in 1901 as Cleveland Bluebirds (then the Bronchos and Naps before adopting their current name in 1915). They are two-time World Series champions (1920 and 1948) and have collected five American League Pennants (1920, 1948, 1954, 1995, 1997, and 2016) in 12 total playoff appearances.

Chicago’s National League ball club goes all the way back to 1876, with the very founding of the league. They’ve played successively as the White Stockings, Colts, Orphans, and finally, the Cubs starting in 1903. Like the Indians, the Cubs have two World Series trophies for back-to-back wins in 1907-08. Chicago owns 17 NL Pennants (1876, 1880-82, 1885-86, 1906-08, 1910, 1918, 1929, 1932, 1935, 1938, 1945, 2016) over 18 total playoff appearances.

World Series Game Schedule

The World Series will be carried on the FOX Network with the first two games at Progressive Field at 8:08 ET / 5:08 PT for first pitch . Games 3, 4, and if necessary, Game 5 will take place in Chicago at Wrigley Field on Friday through Sunday, October 28-30.

First pitch for Friday and Saturday’s game is 8:08 ET. Saturday’s game’s first pitch would come at 8:15 ET. Should the series continue, it will return to Cleveland on November 1-2 with first pitch at 8:08 ET.

Calling the Games

It’s an honor to be chosen to umpire the World Series and this year’s crew will be led by John Hirshbeck, a 33-year MLB veteran, who will be participating in his fifth career Fall Classic, including his third as a World Series Crew Chief. Hirschbeck’s crew will be umpires Chris Guccione, Sam Holbrook, Marvin Hudson, Tony Randazzo, and regular season crew chiefs Larry Vanover and Joe West. It will be Vanover behind the plate for Game 1.

For Umpires Guccione, Hudson, Randazzo, and Vanover it will be a first-ever appearance in the World Series. For veteran umpire West, this year’s will be his sixth.

As in all postseason games, the umpiring crew includes officials in left and right field to augment the regular set of umpires at each base. A seventh member of the crew operates as the replay official in Games 1 and 2 before rotating into on-field duties.