Red Sox relieve Bob McClure of pitching coach duties

BOSTON, MA—The Boston Red Sox today relieved Bob McClure of his duties as the team’s pitching coach and named Randy Niemann to the position for the remainder of the 2012 season.

The announcement was made by Executive Vice President/General Manager Ben Cherington.

McClure, 60, joined the Red Sox organization as a special assignment scout/instructor in November 2011 and was named as pitching coach in December 2011.  He previously spent six seasons as the pitching coach for the Kansas City Royals after being named to that position on October 12, 2005.  Prior to joining the Royals, he served as a minor league pitching coach in the Colorado Rockies system for seven seasons, including three years with Single-A Salem from 1999-2001 and four seasons with Triple-A Colorado Springs from 2002-05.  McClure began his coaching career with the Florida Marlins in 1994 as a coach on the Major League staff and also served as a scout with the Marlins in 1996.  A left-handed pitcher, he played 19 Major League seasons with the Royals (1975-76), Brewers (1977-86), Expos (1986-88), Mets (1988), Angels (1989-91), Cardinals (1991-92) and Marlins (1993), compiling a 68-57 record with 52 saves and a 3.81 ERA (490 ER/1,158.2 IP) in 698 career games (73 starts).

Niemann, 56, has served as Boston’s assistant pitching coach in 2012, his first season in the Red Sox organization.  He previously spent 24 seasons in the Mets organization, including three stints as New York’s bullpen coach for parts of the 1997-99 seasons, and the 2000-02 and 2009-10 campaigns.  While in the Mets system, Niemann served as pitching coach for High-A St. Lucie (1996-97, 2005) and Triple-A Norfolk (2003, 2006) and was the system’s pitching coordinator for parts of 1999 and 2000.  He was the Mets rehabilitation coordinator in 2004-05 and 2007-08, and rehab pitching coordinator in 2011.  Niemann began his coaching career with New York’s Rookie-level Sarasota club in 1988 and also served as a coach for Rookie-level Kingsport in 1989, Short-A Pittsfield in 1990, St. Lucie in 1992 and Double-A Binghamton from 1992-1994.  A left-handed pitcher, he played parts of eight Major League seasons with the Astros (1979-80), Pirates (1982-83), White Sox (1984), Mets (1985-86) and Twins (1987), compiling a 7-8 record with three saves and a 4.64 ERA (103 ER/200.0 IP) in 122 games (10 starts), and was a member of the Mets World Championship team in 1986.