The Boston Red Sox needed a scapegoat and pitching coach Bob McClure paid the price with his job. The Red Sox's GM Ben Cherington fired McClure on Monday evening after a lackluster year from the Red Sox's pitching staff.
If there is anybody to blame for the woes in Boston, it is definitely their pitching staff. Tweeted not too long ago, on Saturday, as the Red Sox were in the middle of a series with their long time rival New York Yankees, Peter Abe, Sox beat writer for the Boston Globe brought out an interesting fact:
Strange but true: the #Yankees have scored 593 runs this season and the #RedSox 591
When looking at the disparity between both clubs' records, the answer immediately pointed to pitching problems.
The Red Sox stand in 23rd place in the majors with a 4.30 ERA, 4.82 from their starting staff.
In Boston the logic becomes, neve rmind that the players are struggling or their attitude is poor (Josh Beckett), instead of trying hard to move obvious struggling players, they go after management.
Terry Francona paid the price this offseason after he was fired for the Red Sox's collapse. Never mind that the team could not play and find a way to win, Francona unfairly took all the blame.
McClure could not survive a full year in Boston. He was hired in December 2011, 8 months later his is jobless. McClure was first a scout for the Sox and then he received a promotion before the team even had a manager.
If there is any good news for the rest of the coaching staff, including Bobby V, it is that GM Cherington said that he will not be firing anybody else.
The latest firing is simply a way to answer critics. Firing Bobby V would have created a stir too deep for the Sox to handle following the tumultuous ending of their 2011 season. McClure is another way of management telling fans "We are trying to do something."
Jon Lester is still valuable to the team despite his struggles. Felix Doubront and Clay Buchholz have carried the staff throughout the season. Maybe the Sox should listen to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports and find a way to get rid of Beckett who has grown to be a parasite in the Red Sox's clubhouse.
It will take some reconstruction in Boston as it is becoming the ballclub players and coaches will want to avoid, but it might already be too late.