Larry Lucchino, the former president of the Red Sox (2002-15), died on Tuesday at age 78. Lucchino, who once said he hoped his legacy would be that he “made a difference in the cities he lived in,” certainly lived up the claim. Across baseball tributes flowed in for the hard-charging baseball executive.

So significant, it can be hard to put Lucchino’s contributions to this century’s Red Sox in perspective, let alone capture his achievements for other storied franchises like the Orioles and Padres. His obiturary in the Boston Globe captures a lot of the details, but consider this: Lucchino’s fingerprints are all over myriad Red Sox success stories, not the least of which include three World Series championships in 2004, 2007 and 2013, a revitalized Fenway Park that hosted a Major League Baseball record for sellouts, and the creation of the Red Sox Foundation, the club’s well-regarded charitable arm.

And in the early days here, it was Lucchino who pushed ownership to trust 28-year-old Theo Epstein with general management of the team, launching what will surely end as a Hall of Fame career. “For me and for so many of my best friends in baseball,” Esptein said, “Larry gave us our start, believing in us and setting an enduring example with his work ethic, vision, competitiveness and fearlessness.”

Later, Lucchio would become co-owner of the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox and help to bring Polar Park to fruition for the club’s subsequent move to Worcester.

Red Sox Pay Tribute

Red Sox players praised Lucchino’s unfailing focus on winning. “Larry was larger than life and loved to win, something that drives his teams to do the same. It was an honor to play for him, know and learn from him,” said Jason Varitek.

Teammate Dustin Pedroia concurred. “Larry was a winner. Didn’t matter if it was a contract negotiation, saving Fenway, asking players what we need to compete. Larry was going to work until the job was finished. He had a presence and an attitude that wouldn’t be denied. He was a tone setter for our organization,” Pedroia said.

Hall of Famer David Ortiz said that early on in his time with the club, Lucchino seemed to be just another “business guy,” but later as their relationship developed, so too did his appreciation for Lucchino’s drive. “He knew how to put the pieces together,” Oritiz said. “When you talked to Larry and understood what the Red Sox meant to him, you got the memo: win.”

A Winning Legacy

By all accounts, Lucchino was pugnacious, impatient, moody, mercurial, and hard-charging. But he also single-mindedly wanted to win. He suffered no fools, coined “The Evil Empire” to describe the rival Yankees, and could be tough to work for. But while others talk, Lucchino did. He embodied what it means to be an executive.

In his remembrance, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal recounted frustration as a reporter with Lucchino but also admiration for what he accomplished. “Team Chairman Tom Werner promised the Red Sox would go “full throttle” this past offseason, and owership did nothing of the sort,” Rosenthal wrote. “Lucchino was always full throttle, and his legacy will remain vivid to all those who remember him.”