BOSTON — Ben Cherington was en route to Greenville — home of one of the Red Sox’s Single-A affiliate — when manager John Farrell called Thursday to inform the GM of his lymphoma diagnosis.
The news, which Farrell revealed to the public Friday afternoon at Fenway Park, shocked Cherington, who quickly returned to Boston.
“I’ve tried to get an opportunity (Thursday) and (Friday morning) just to talk to him as a human being and a friend and let him know I’m with him and that he’ll get through this and we’ll get through it together,” Cherington said before Friday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park.
Farrell described his lymphoma, which was discovered Monday when he underwent hernia surgery in Detroit, as “highly curable.” He even expects to return to the dugout in 2016, though he’ll miss the remainder of this season. But the news is stunning, to say the least, and many within the Red Sox organization and across Major League Baseball already have voiced their support for Farrell.
“There’s a lot of respect for him, not just within the Red Sox organization, but throughout baseball,” Cherington said. “A lot of people are already reaching out.
“He’s someone who has spent his whole life in baseball. He’s played. He’s coached. He’s worked in front offices. Obviously he’s managed now. He probably knows more people in baseball than just about anybody. He’s hearing from a lot of people, as you’d expect.”
Red Sox bench coach Torey Lovullo will manage the club for the rest of 2015. Farrell’s chemotherapy treatment, which is set to begin next week, and recovery will keep him away from the daily grind. Boston could add help, though. Cherington still was processing all of the information early Friday evening.
“I wouldn’t rule out adding someone to the (coaching) staff to help with the work and make sure we have enough man power,” Cherington said. “Just started talking about that (Friday).
“Obviously we don’t have anyone else here (Friday), but I wouldn’t rule out having someone join the staff in the coming days. We’ll talk to Torey and John about that (Saturday).”
Farrell needs to focus on his health. Fortunately, he has a lot of people in his corner.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@BostonGlobe
