The Boston Red Sox today announced that they have exercised the club's 2018 contract option on manager John Farrell. President of Baseball Operations David Dombrowski made the announcement.
Farrell, 54, has led the Red Sox to a 339-309 (.523) record over his first four seasons with the club, as well as two American League East division titles (2013, 2016) and the 2013 World Series Championship. Since becoming the 46th manager in Red Sox history in October 2012, he has climbed to ninth place on the franchise's all-time wins list and is approaching Eddie Kasko (8th, 345), Don Zimmer (7th, 411), and Jimy Williams (6th, 414).
Boston had won the AL East only twice in the 22 seasons prior to Farrell's appointment as manager (1991-2012), and in 2016 he joined Joe Morgan as the only Boston managers to win multiple division titles. The Red Sox won 15 more games in 2016 (93) than they did in 2015 (78), marking the largest improvement among any team in the majors last season. For his efforts, Farrell finished fourth in the 2016 BBWAA American League Manager of the Year voting.
The Red Sox owned the Majors' fifth-best winning percentage in 2016 (.574), and their 50-32 (.610) record from July 3 through the remainder of the season led the AL and ranked second in baseball. Boston did not have a losing streak longer than four games all season, posting winning records in April (14-10), May (18-10), July (15-10), August (17-13), and September (19-8). The Red Sox' .667 winning percentage (20-10) from August 31 through the end of the regular season was the highest in the Majors, while the club earned its highest win total in any September since 1985 (19-9). Boston's 11-game winning streak from September 15-25 was tied for the second-longest in the Majors in 2016.
In six years as a Major League manager for the Blue Jays (2011-12) and Red Sox (2013-16), Farrell has a career record of 493-479 (.507). In 2013 he became just the sixth skipper to win a World Series with Boston, and only the fourth to do it in his first year at the helm. Farrell finished second in 2013 AL Manager of the Year voting and was named AL Manager of the Year by the Sporting News after guiding Boston to a 97-65 record, tied with the St. Louis Cardinals for the best mark in baseball. He also piloted the AL to a 5-3 win over the National League in the 2014 All-Star Game at Minnesota's Target Field.
The 2017 season will be Farrell's ninth overall in the Red Sox organization after he spent his first four years with the team as the Major League pitching coach from 2007-10. The Red Sox won the World Series in 2007, his first year in that role. He was the 2009 recipient of the Red Sox Good Guy Award from the Boston Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.
Before his stint as Red Sox pitching coach, Farrell spent five years as Director of Player Development for the Indians from November 2001-November 2006, overseeing one of the best farm systems in baseball. Following his playing career, he returned to Oklahoma State, earned his bachelor's in 1996, and served five seasons (1997-2001) as an assistant coach and pitching and recruiting coordinator.