"My mom, who is 86, 87, is from the area — she said if I did not consider it then she was actually going to kill me," McClure said on Friday. "So I felt I better."
Needless to say, there won't be any family disagreements this Christmas. After six seasons as the Royals pitching coach, McClure — who groomed 2009 AL Cy Young award winner Zack Greinke – accepted the same position with the Red Sox.
During the teleconference, manager Bobby Valentine officially announced the addition of McClure, the decision to move Tim Bogar to bench coach and the hiring of Jerry Royster to coach third base and Alex Ochoa to coach first base.
McClure, who was initially hired in November as a special assignment scout and minor league instructor, pitched 19 years in the majors. He spent the majority of his career as a reliever, finishing with a 68-57 record and a 3.81 ERA.
At one point during McClure's time with the Brewers, he was forced to make the transition from reliever to starter. That experience certainly impressed Valentine, considering Daniel Bard and Alfredo Aceves will attempt similar conversions.
"Bob understood not only the mechanics of pitching but also the mechanics of working a long season," Valentine said. "So he filled the bill on all of those things and he also has a — as Robin Yount would say — a real true grit to him.
"He can be very sociable and jovial but he also can be stern when he needs to be and I think that's a good prerequisite for this job."
On the heels of last season's clubhouse controversy surrounding the pitching staff, that demeanor could be vital. But McClure emphasized that he would attempt to connect with his staff first.
"The No. 1 thing I like to do is teach," McClure said. "Teaching pitching is always going to be my passion. My job basically, in a nutshell, is to get them to be their own pitching coaches in a way."
Valentine already had an established relationship with Ochoa and Bogar. Both coaches played under the skipper when he managed the New York Mets. Royster most recently managed the Lotte Giants in Korea's baseball league.
"I think it was really important to try to blend the other three selected coaches with the existing ones so that all of the disciplines were covered," Valentine said. "I think we did that and I'm excited about the group that was put together. I'm really excited about Bob heading up the pitching staff."
