Red Sox hire Farrell to be pitching coach

John Farrell said his longstanding relationship with Terry Francona was at the forefront of his decision to accept the job as Red Sox pitching coach and leave a front-office position in Cleveland that a few baseball observers felt would have led to a general managing job in the near future. But the Sox manager said it was more than friendship that led him to Farrell.

``I was fortunate enough to know John in the past, to know how he feels about the game and the respect he has for people in the game," said Francona. ``I wanted somebody desperately who I was comfortable with, that Theo [Epstein] would be comfortable with, the players would be comfortable with, that ownership would be comfortable with.

``This isn't a thing where you start lining up friends and friendships. What I wanted was someone who I thought could be an outstanding pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox."

Farrell, whose hiring was officially announced by the Sox yesterday, was a teammate of Francona's with the Indians in 1988, and they were together in Detroit in 1996, when Farrell pitched for the Tigers and Francona was third base coach.

Farrell, 44, had an outstanding record as a farm director with the Indians, who were named Organization of the Year by USA Today in 2003 and 2004 and were cited by Baseball America in 2003 as having the best farm system in baseball.

``We think he's going to make a real impact in this organization," said Epstein, the Sox general manager. ``We think he's going to help us win. Tito and I are very excited to have him on board. Can't wait to get started working with him."

The Sox will have to decide whether Al Nipper is a fit with Farrell to remain as the bullpen coach. Nipper took over as interim pitching coach for Dave Wallace last winter, when Wallace needed hip surgery that kept him sidelined most of the season.

Epstein said he informed Nipper Sunday that Farrell would be hired, and Nipper took the news well, saying he looked forward to staying aboard in the role he was hired for.

Epstein also said Dave Magadan officially will come aboard Nov. 1 and the former Padres hitting coach would be a candidate for that job in Boston, though for now his role is undetermined.

Asked why he would leave a place where he had a promising future in the front office, Farrell said, ``The `fast track' to the front office that people referred to can be left up to the interpretation of the individual.

``I have not had any set time frame as I came into the front office here in Cleveland, but I can tell you that a daily competitive fire exists within me, and I think the opportunity that has been presented here to help make decisions and in-game decisions that have the potential to affect the outcome on a daily basis is a tremendous opportunity.

``Not only that, but the passion in Boston in an on-field environment arguably might be the best presented in our industry. It's what really came to the forefront when talking to Theo.

``There was a lot of thought, a lot of personal reflection in making this decision."

Farrell has never been a pitching coach in the minors or majors, but he was at Oklahoma State from 1997-2001. His organization and pitching knowledge were seen as keys in helping Boston's younger pitchers.

``We wanted someone who could take a very broad view of the job and be able to make a real impact on our pitching staff in terms of wins and losses," Epstein said. ``John has a really good feel for what makes pitchers succeed from a mental standpoint as well as a physical standpoint.

``He's faced a lot of those challenges himself both as a player and as a collegiate coach and as a farm director. He's well-qualified to work with our pitchers on making the adjustments necessary to succeed."

Farrell said he's well aware of the passion and expectations in Boston; in part, that attracted him to the market. He believes in strong communication and an individualized game plan for each pitcher.

``What we also have to do is arrive at a point of what's the best comfort level for each individual pitcher," Farrell said. ``A way to communicate that is a detailed or consistent framework which gives each pitcher a consistent starting point, team-oriented, team-based so that the consistency of our everyday approach plays out on the field."

Farrell said the new part for him will be the in-game information he gives Francona, but the rest of it, including the preparation with each pitcher, is something he's done as a farm director.

He said he's already had the chance to review film of Boston's young pitchers, particularly Jonathan Papelbon, Craig Hansen, and Manny Delcarmen, and he'll have plenty of ideas before spring training begins.

``There's no doubt we have some young arms that are going to be very exciting to work with," Farrell said. ``All three clearly have the physical attributes that you're looking for; it's putting them in the best position to succeed. What they need to pursue is their own personal awareness."

Francona, meanwhile, was sorry to hear that his close friend Ken Macha was fired as A's manager.

``Talked to him about an hour ago, very briefly," said Francona. ``Just wanted to make sure he was OK. He said he was. Today was a little more eventful than he wanted it to be."

Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com