Before the Boston Red Sox’s series opener in Minnesota, manager John Farrell announced who will join him in the dugout when he returns to Target Field in July.
Farrell will manage the American League squad in the 2014 All-Star Game, and he told reporters Tuesday that Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona and Minnesota Twins skipper Ron Gardenhire will serve as his assistants.
Neither choice comes as a shock, as Francona and Farrell are longtime friends from Francona’s days in Boston, and Gardenhire has managed the hometown Twins since 2002 and been a part of the Minnesota coaching staff since 1991.
Farrell twice has been a member of an All-Star coaching staff (2008 and 2011), but this will be his first time managing in the Midsummer Classic. St. Louis Cardinals skipper Mike Matheny will manage the National League.
“It’s just an honor that our coaches and myself have a chance to be around the game’s current greatest players. It’s an honor for us,” Farrell said, via WEEI.com. “It’s a meaningful game. and to be associated with the spectacle of a Midsummer Classic is something that we’ll always remember, and for a couple of us, this is the second time we’ve been fortunate enough to be part of it. And it will get here in time, but we’re looking forward to those days.”
The Red Sox lost Tuesday’s series opener 8-6 on a walk-off home run by Twins right fielder Chris Parmelee.
