BALTIMORE (AP) — Less than 24 hours after the Boston Red Sox shockingly fired manager Alex Cora and five members of his coaching staff, infielder Trevor Story said the club’s path forward feels unclear.
“I mean obviously, it’s kind of up in the air what the true direction is,” the two-time All-Star said on Sunday morning before a series finale against the Baltimore Orioles. “Those are conversations that need to be had. They’ll be had today and onward going forward, too.”
The Red Sox officially dismissed Cora on Saturday evening after a 10-17 start to his eighth season guiding the club, including an embarrassing three-game sweep at home to the New York Yankees earlier this week.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow explained the first in-season firing of a Boston manager since 2001 by suggesting it showed commitment to the current season.
“It really comes down to the belief we have in the players, and the belief we have in the group to accomplish what we set out to accomplish,” Breslow said Sunday. “By acting today, it gives us 135 games ahead of us, almost a full season’s worth of run, to take advantage of this fresh start.”
But Story, in the fifth season of a six-year, $140-million deal, is an exception on a young roster that has traded away stars like Mookie Betts, Chris Sale, Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers in the years since Cora guided Boston to a 2018 World Series title in his first season.
The Red Sox have reached only two postseasons since, and only one since Story’s arrival when they made a wild-card appearance in 2025.
“I came here to win and I came here to be successful,” said the 33-year-old Story, who is among the Boston batters struggling with a .198 average, two homers and 17 RBIs. “And we had a flash of that last year. We’re looking to build on that. Obviously not off to a great start. But yeah, some of the direction needs to be cleared up, in my opinion.”
Breslow and interim manager Chad Tracy spoke with the team for roughly eight minutes in a Sunday morning gathering that also included owner John Henry and team president Sam Kennedy, according to reliever Garrett Whitlock. Players did not talk during the meeting.
“They spoke. Yeah, they spoke,” Story said. “There just has to be more conversations had. I wouldn’t say it was satisfactory.”
To reporters, Breslow and Kennedy indicated this was a decision driven by baseball operations after the club had performed particularly poorly on offense.
Despite a 17-1 win over Baltimore Saturday that halted a four-game slide, the Red Sox batters entered Sunday slashing .233/.312/.354 collectively and ranked in the bottom quarter of MLB in most key metrics.
“Ultimately, responsibility for the performance on the field, it falls on me as the leader of baseball operations,” Breslow said. “But so, too, does the responsibility for doing everything I can and the organization can to find solutions. And right now we feel like this change, these changes were warranted.”
Kennedy said Breslow has “made several bold decisions and recommendations.”
"And this was one of them and we fully support it.," he said.
Henry remained in Baltimore Sunday but did not address the media.
“I think it’s evident by his presence here that this was a collaborative decision (with Henry),” Kennedy said.
Tracy makes his MLB managerial debut after six seasons guiding Triple-A Worcester. The son of longtime manager Jim Tracy, he recognized the delicate dynamics of his opportunity.
“I’m toeing that line of sitting here with all of you in this moment, but also acknowledge the relationship with some of the people that are no longer here was strong,” Tracy said. “And you also know that that’s, in a lot of ways, that’s how some of the players feel as well. So, excited, right? But also honoring the people that were before me that were mentors to me.”
Story praised Tracy’s “baseball mind,” but was clearly still emotional about Cora’s firing.
“He had our backs every single day,” Story said. “He was very truthful with players and took bullets for us and did everything you can ask for and more as a manager. I just can’t express how thankful I am to have played for him. Yeah, I’ve got a love for that guy.”
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Boston Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow speaks during a press conference with President & CEO Sam Kennedy, Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Boston Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy speaks during a press conference, Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Boston Red Sox's Trevor Story runs to the dug out after scoring during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
TORRANCE, Calif. (AP) — The California man arrested in the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner is a highly educated tutor and amateur video game developer opposed to the policies of President Donald Trump.
A photo of Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, posted to social media last year shows him in a cap and gown after graduating with a master’s degree in computer science from California State University, Dominguez Hills. His face appears to match the appearance of the alleged attacker taken into custody at the dinner Saturday night in Washington that was attended by Trump and top members of his administration.
In writings sent to family members minutes before the attack, the 31-year-old described himself as “Friendly Federal Assassin” and railed against recent actions taken by the U.S. government under Trump, though he did not name the Republican president directly, according to a law enforcement official who was not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
A search of state and federal court databases showed no indication Allen had ever previously been charged with a crime.
Voter registration records from California lists Allen's home address as his parent's house on a tree-lined street in one of the most historic neighborhoods in Torrance, a city within the Los Angeles metro area. Public records show he is the oldest of four adult siblings, with two younger sisters and a brother.
Two cars were parked in the driveway Sunday morning. A blue scooter that a neighbor said Allen rode was on the front lawn. No one answered the door when an Associated Press reporter knocked.
Allen contributed $25 to a Democratic Party political action committee in support of Kamala Harris for president in 2024, according to federal campaign finance records. A yard sign displayed at the family home supported a local candidate for judge who was endorsed by the Los Angeles County Democratic Party.
Law enforcement officials told the AP that Cole Allen legally bought a .38-caliber semiautomatic pistol in October 2023 and a 12-gauge shotgun last year.
Allen earned a bachelor’s degree in 2017 in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, according to his profile on the social networking site LinkedIn. He also listed his involvement there in a campus group that battled with Nerf guns and a Christian student fellowship.
The suspect's father, Thomas Allen, is listed as an elder at Grace United Reformed Church Torrance. The webpage for the congregation describes it as a “Bible-believing church” following the “infallible Word of God.” Security guards posted at the sanctuary during worship services on Sunday escorted parishioners to the door and kept reporters at bay.
Bin Tang, a computer science professor at California State University, Dominguez Hills, told the AP that Allen took a few of his classes before graduating last year.
“He was a very good student indeed, always sitting in the first row of my class, paying attention, and frequently emailing me with coursework questions. Soft-spoken, very polite, a good fellow. I am very shocked to see the news,” Tang wrote in an email.
A local ABC station in Los Angeles included an interview with Allen during his senior year of college as part of a story about new technologies to help people as they age. He had developed a prototype for a new type of emergency brake for wheelchairs.
Allen's online resume says he worked for the last six years at C2 Education, a company that offers admissions counseling and test preparation services to aspiring college students. A 2024 post on the company’s Facebook page listed Allen as the company’s teacher of the month. The company did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Saturday night.
Allen also posted that he had developed a video game for the Steam platform based on molecular chemistry. A post under Allen’s name said he was working to develop a new “top-down shooter” combat game set in outer space.
Biesecker and Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Michael Balsamo and Michael Kunzelman in Washington contributed to this report.
FBI agents work in a neighbor's yard, Sunday, April 26, 2026, near an address in Torrance, Calif., connected to Cole Tomas Allen, who was identified as the shooting suspect at the White House Correspondents Dinner the night before. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
FBI agents walk door to door to try to speak with neighbors, Sunday, April 26, 2026, near an address in Torrance, Calif., connected to Cole Tomas Allen, who was identified as the shooting suspect at the White House Correspondents Dinner the night before. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
FBI agents work, Sunday, April 26, 2026, near an address in Torrance, Calif., connected to Cole Tomas Allen, who was identified as the shooting suspect at the White House Correspondents Dinner the night before. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
A reporter and cameraman stand outside the door of a house connected to Cole Tomas Allen, who has been identified as a suspect in a shooting at the White House Correspondents Dinner early Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Torrance, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
FBI agents walk door to door to try to speak with neighbors as members of the media follow them, Sunday, April 26, 2026, near an address in Torrance, Calif., connected to Cole Tomas Allen, who was identified as the shooting suspect at the White House Correspondents Dinner the night before. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Members of law enforcement respond during the White House Correspondents Dinner, Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)
A law enforcement officer sets up police tape near an address connected to Cole Tomas Allen, the shooting suspect at the White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday, April 25, 2026, in Torrance, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
