Phillies and Red Sox experiencing different results after early managerial changes

The Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies handled the firings differently

The Cora firing came first. Tensions had been high for a while within the Red Sox organization, as chief baseball officer Craig Breslow was under fire for the roster he put out on the field. Cora wasn't free from criticism either, particularly in how he handled young and developmental players.

In the end, with pressure mounting, Breslow fired Cora. On top of that, he fired five other members of Cora's coaching staff. Figures like pitching coach Andrew Bailey, who is close with Breslow, stayed. Boston had a 10-17 record at the time.

The Phillies fired Thomson shortly after Cora was let go. At the time, the Phillies were 9-19 and had lost 11 of their last 12 games. 

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski had reportedly reached out to Cora, having won a World Series together with the Red Sox in 2018, to replace Thomson. Cora decided to spend time with his family instead, and the Phillies named Don Mattingly interim manager.

Notably, Thomson was the only Phillies coach fired. It was not a complete purge of the staff like what happened in Boston.

Phillies have found success since firing Rob Thomson

If Dombrowski was hoping to spark the Phillies, it worked. Almost immediately, the offense came to life, and Philadelphia turned its season around. The Phillies are now 19-22, having gone 10-3 since the firing and climbed into a tie for second place in the NL East.

Meanwhile, the Phillies are first in MLB in home runs, batting average and slugging percentage since the firing. Clearly, something changed for Philadelphia.

Results have been less promising in Boston

Nothing really changed for Boston following Cora's dismissal. Since firing Cora, the Red Sox have gone 7-6. They're still last in the AL East at 17-23 overall. The offense has remained inconsistent, and injuries are adding up.

So, that leaves the question, why did these two teams have such different results from firing their manager?

Why have Phillies and Red Sox gone different directions since early managerial changes?

There are a few obvious differences. 

One is that the Red Sox also purged their staff. That move was almost completely unprecedented, particularly so early in the season. On top of that, they promoted Triple-A manager Chad Tracy to serve as interim manager. Tracy lacked any MLB experience.

The Phillies, meanwhile, fired only Thomson, so there was no complete overhaul to navigate. Philadelphia also opted for an experienced MLB manager for the interim. With Cora turning them down, they turned to Mattingly, who has 12 years of experience as an MLB manager.

Another factor is how these rosters are constructed. The Phillies have an abundance of veteran leadership in players like Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and J.T. Realmuto. The Red Sox, on the other hand, have turned to a youth movement. It's not surprising that a team stocked with experience would handle a shake-up better than one with less veteran presence.

Interestingly, the Phillies and Red Sox are set to play in a three-game series beginning Tuesday. How that series goes is to be determined, but it's clear one team has momentum, and the other is still finding itself.