The dismissal of long-time manager Alex Cora by the Red Sox on Saturday has thrust Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla into a new spot in the Boston coaching hierarchy.
Mazzulla is just in his fourth season as Celtics head coach after taking over the role in September 2023 following Ime Udoka’s suspension. However, he is currently Boston’s longest-tenured head coach after Cora was let go. The Patriots’ Mike Vrabel is set to enter his second coaching season in the fall and Marco Sturm is currently in the midst of his first season with the Bruins. Mazzulla has gone 238-90 in his four seasons at the helm in Boston.
Cora was at the start of his eighth season as Red Sox manager before his firing, going 620-541 over 1,161 games, the third-most in franchise history. He becomes the last Red Sox manager to be fired in the middle of the season since Jimy Williams in August 2000.
Mazzulla had built a connection with Cora during his time in Boston and spent time at Fenway Park earlier this month with the Red Sox manager amid the team’s slow start. He spoke about his conversations with Cora during an interview on the Sports Hub’s Zolak and Bertrand two weeks ago.
“Culture and mindset,” Mazzulla said about the conversation. “That’s where it’s great being able to be around the other sports teams in the city because we are all going through the same thing as far as responsibility and the ownership and the expectation to win but we are all on different parts of that.
“The one thing I love about AC is his consistency, approach, his relationship with the guys and how he handles the ups and downs. We just had a great talk about mindset. One of the best things he does is focus on what he can control. We had a great conversation. He always helped me with perspective especially in the first year or two. He’s been through a lot of ups and downs in the league and I’m grateful for his openness.”
Just weeks later, Mazzulla now finds himself as the most experienced coach in Boston.
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