Nobody can better relate to what Chad Tracy has experienced this season as interim manager of the Red Sox than Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo.
Lovullo was bench coach of the Red Sox in 2015 when manager John Farrell learned he had Stage 1 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Farrell revealed the shocking news to the team on Aug. 14, then stepped aside for the remainder of the season to receive treatment.
Lovullo led the Sox to a 28-20 record, drawing praise for how he handled the team during a difficult time. To this day, Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts and Eduardo Rodriguez are among the players who hold Lovullo in high regard for the way he gracefully handled a difficult situation.
“One of the most important people in my career,” said Rodriguez, who signed with the Diamondbacks before the 2024 season in part because he wanted to play for Lovullo again.
Lovullo doesn’t know Tracy, but from afar he has been impressed with the job he has done since replacing Alex Cora in April.
“Just look at the standings. He’s been great,” Lovullo said before his team beat the Sox, 7-6 in 10 innings on Wednesday.
What caught Lovullo’s eye when he prepared for the series was how the Red Sox put pressure on opposing defenses.
“They’re built that way; they know their roles. They’re very dynamic,” he said. “They have a lot of really good athletes. [Ceddanne] Rafaela is a perfect example. He can bang the ball off the Green Monster as well as anybody, and then next game he’s going to put a bunt down and play the small-ball game.
“They’re well trained, and they’re prepared. I think that’s coaching and the responsibility of the players to get it done. The execution is very, very crisp.
“They put a lot of pressure on us, and we know what they’re able to do.”
Lovullo was 50 when he managed the Red Sox for those 48 games. Farrell returned for the 2016 season, and Lovullo was hired by the Diamondbacks before the 2017 season.
Among active managers, only Tampa Bay’s Kevin Cash and Dave Roberts of the Dodgers have been with the same team longer.
Farrell was fired after the ’17 season and replaced by Cora.
I’ve often wondered how Red Sox history would have changed had Farrell moved into the front office after his recovery, and Lovullo stayed on as manager.
It can be difficult to manage in a market like Boston, but Lovullo handled all the responsibilities smoothly and struck a balance in how he managed veterans and prospects. He seemed like a perfect fit for the job.
Tracy, who turned 41 in July, will almost surely manage the Sox beyond this season. The team had a remarkable turnaround on his watch and is positioned to make the postseason as a wild card. He’s a known commodity at this point and has shown he can work well with chief baseball officer Craig Breslow.
Tracy has said he wants to stay on, but beyond that has focused on the day-to-day aspects of running the team. Given how well the Sox have played since late June, perhaps it’s best to wait until the end of the season before giving Tracy the job permanently.
The way the Sox are playing, leave well enough alone. At this point, Tracy will probably be voted American League Manager of the Year.
As Lovullo did in 2015, Tracy has made it about the team and not himself. He deflects praise, credits the players, and adeptly tamps down the occasional fires that spring up.
From the other side of the field, Lovullo sees the similarities. He once stood in that same dugout at Fenway Park.
“[Tracy] is doing a great job,” he said. “Watching them in person, you can see that.”
Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at peteabeglobe.bsky.social.