The Boston Red Sox fired manager Bobby Valentine on Thursday, one day after completing the franchise's worst season in nearly five decades.
Valentine finished with a record of 69-93 on a team that was beset by injuries before management gave up on this season and traded some of its best players -- and biggest salaries. Without Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett, the Red Sox will save $250 million in future salaries and have a chance to rebuild over the winter.
SportsNation: Bobby Valentine fired
SportsNation Bobby Valentine was fired after a 69-93 season, Boston's first losing season since 1997. Was it the right move?
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But that will be too late for Valentine, who managed the Red Sox to their highest single-season loss total since 1965.
Boston hired Valentine, 62, last December following the fallout of the 2011 season, when the Red Sox collapsed in September and missed the postseason. The unprecedented late-season swoon led to a tumultuous offseason in Boston, as the Red Sox parted ways with then-manager Terry Francona and saw general manager Theo Epstein bolt for the Chicago Cubs.
A baseball savant who won the NL pennant with the New York Mets and won it all in Japan, Valentine was brought in after Francona lost control of the clubhouse. But the players who had been coddled under Francona bristled under Valentine's abrasive style and, more importantly, didn't win for him, either.
Known for his fiery personality, Valentine clashed with Red Sox players and the media throughout the season. As early as April, he said fan favorite Kevin Youkilis wasn't "as physically or emotionally into the game as he has been in the past for some reason."
At the beginning of September he was asked on Boston radio station WEEI if he had checked out. He replied: "What an embarrassing thing to say. You know if I was there, I'd punch you in the mouth."
And as recently as Wednesday, Valentine accused some on his coaching staff of undermining him.
"Our 2012 season was disappointing for many reasons," Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said. "No single issue is the reason, and no single individual is to blame. We've been making personnel changes since August, and we will continue to do so as we build a contending club."
Cherington said he will lead the search for Boston's next manager. Reached by ESPNBoston.com, Red Sox bench coach Tim Bogar said he has not been informed whether he will return to the team. His contract expires at the end of October.
Despite entering with a star-studded roster and a payroll of over $146 million, the Red Sox were beset by injuries all season. David Ortiz, Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford and Andrew Bailey all missed significant portions of the season on the disabled list.
