Torey Lovullo didn’t earn his promotion the way most people do.
The Boston Red Sox bench coach was thrust into his role as interim manager under unfortunate circumstances when John Farrell announced Aug. 14 that he had been diagnosed with Stage 1 lymphoma.
And Lovullo said he’s had to learn a lot as he goes along.
“I learned that the manager has a lot of responsibilities behind the scenes that could easily cause a distraction,” Lovullo said before Sunday’s 2-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park. “I learned that 7:00 is my favorite part of the day. There’s nothing against all the prep work and all the postgame work. It’s part of the job that John has.
“He made it look pretty easy, and I just wasn’t exactly clear as to how challenging that could be. It’s tough to manage your time. You have to be disciplined and where you need to get to and what you’re trying to accomplish each and every day. But it’s been great. It’s been a great learning experience for me.”
At the same time, though, Lovullo says he’s been a manager for years, but now, he just has to make all the decisions.
“I’ve been managing games since I was a player,” Lovullo said. “It’s been no different as far as in-game stuff. During the game, I’m paying attention to the same things I did when I was playing. You guys are managing the game, too, so we all do it together. They’ll have very similar thoughts. It’s just the one little twist is that I have the final say, and that’s been the biggest adjustment.”
Still, Lovullo has done a fine job stepping up for Farrell. Since Aug. 11 — Lovullo spent those days as manger when Farrell underwent hernia surgery — the Red Sox have gone 25-18 under their new skipper.
Thumbnail photo via Reinhold Matay/USA TODAY Sports Images
