The Boston Red Sox have struggled all season long, sitting in last place in the AL East, but on Friday the struggles became far greater than the game of baseball. Manager John Farrell announced in a press conference on Friday that he has been diagnosed with stage 1 lymphoma, and will step down as manager for the rest of the season.
The bright side is that this is reportedly a very curable form of cancer. Bench coach Torey Lovullo will manage the team for the remainder of the 2015 season. The 53-year-old Farrell plans to be back with the club for spring training.
Farrell underwent hernia surgery in Detroit on Monday, which is where doctors discovered the disease. He delivered the news to begin Friday's press conference, prior to Boston's 15-1 win over the Seattle Mariners. The Red Sox manager was fighting back tears the entire press conference, but was very optimistic and positive about the tough situation.
He talked about how fortunate he was that it was found in the surgery, and said that treatment will begin in the next couple days.
A mass was completely removed in the surgery on Monday, and no further procedure is necessary. Chemotherapy will begin early next week.
Farrell previously managed the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011 and 2012, before leading the Red Sox to the World Series title in 2013, his first season with the team. He has struggled this season, with his team at 50-64 on the year.
Players who currently play for Farrell, and use to play for him, were very emotional when hearing the news on Friday. Hanley Ramirez and David Ortiz were in tears when discovering the tragic news, while the likes of Shane Victorino and even the rival New York Yankees tweeted their best wishes.
Farrell's focus for the rest of this year will be away from baseball, as he fights to overcome this tough challenge. Everyone in the sports world is looking forward to seeing him back in the Red Sox dugout.
The bright side is that this is reportedly a very curable form of cancer. Bench coach Torey Lovullo will manage the team for the remainder of the 2015 season. The 53-year-old Farrell plans to be back with the club for spring training.
Farrell underwent hernia surgery in Detroit on Monday, which is where doctors discovered the disease. He delivered the news to begin Friday's press conference, prior to Boston's 15-1 win over the Seattle Mariners. The Red Sox manager was fighting back tears the entire press conference, but was very optimistic and positive about the tough situation.
He talked about how fortunate he was that it was found in the surgery, and said that treatment will begin in the next couple days.
A mass was completely removed in the surgery on Monday, and no further procedure is necessary. Chemotherapy will begin early next week.
Farrell previously managed the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011 and 2012, before leading the Red Sox to the World Series title in 2013, his first season with the team. He has struggled this season, with his team at 50-64 on the year.
Players who currently play for Farrell, and use to play for him, were very emotional when hearing the news on Friday. Hanley Ramirez and David Ortiz were in tears when discovering the tragic news, while the likes of Shane Victorino and even the rival New York Yankees tweeted their best wishes.
Farrell's focus for the rest of this year will be away from baseball, as he fights to overcome this tough challenge. Everyone in the sports world is looking forward to seeing him back in the Red Sox dugout.
