MLB: Red Sox Fire Manager Joe Kerrigan

FORT MYERS — The Boston Red Sox fired manager Joe Kerrigan late Tuesday afternoon, hours after his team won an exhibition game 4-2 against the Atlanta Braves at City of Palms Park.

Third-base coach Mike Cubbage has been promoted to interim manager until a permenant successor is named. The Red Sox went 17-26 under Kerrigan when he took over for Jimy Williams last August.

Kerrigan's future status as manager was in question ever since the new ownership group led by John Henry and Larry Lucchino officially closed the sale of the team on Feb. 27.

The team has set a 6:30 p.m. conference call regarding the managerial position.

Kerrigan had inquired about his status last weekend but was given no firm answer. Lucchino and interim GM Mike Port had regularly declined to offer Kerrigan support, which only fueled more speculation.

Several players, including Johnny Damon, Derek Lowe and Nomar Garciaparra spoke in support of Kerrigan, who was credited for running an efficient camp under pressure. At the least, they said, management should make a quick decision so the team can focus on the season.

The former pitching coach with no managerial experience inherited a team last year that was dysfunctional off the field but just two games back in the wild card hunt. Under their rookie manager the Red Sox went 17-26, including five straight wins in their last five games of the season against Tampa Bay and Baltimore.

"This kind of decision is always difficult to make," Port said. "We have the utmost respect for Joe and admire his work ethic and his achievements as a pitching coach. John Henry, Tom Werner, Larry Lucchino, and I have discussed this decision at great length, and we firmly believe that this action is in the long-term best interest of this franchise."

Cubbage, 51, the Red Sox third base coach, played nine seasons in the majors, finishing in 1981 with the New York Mets. He was a career .258 hitter. he also played with Texas and Minnesota.

Cubbage managed seven games for the New York Mets in 1991.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

I'm glad this finally happened. I was getting afraid that the new owners would decide to give him a chance. In my opinion, Kerrigan lost the respect of the players. The final two months of the 2001 season was the lowest point in Red Sox history. The players lied down on Kerrigan. They were out of control and had no respect for the game. Star players were allowed to go home early due to "injuries." When the games resumed after 9/11, the Red Sox sat in the dugout horsing around during a solemn moment of silence. On the team bus, players would put on headphones and tune out Kerrigan and the other coaches. It was a sickening way to end a season. The new Red Sox owners need to do a complete housecleaning.

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