(WGGB/WSHM) -- The Boston Red Sox took two out of three wins against the Baltimore Orioles on the road over the weekend, but the bigger story is what happened off the field. Longtime Boston manager Alex Cora was unexpectedly fired Saturday, as well as five members of his staff, leaving Red Sox nation in shock.

Western Mass News got the chance to speak with some fans, like Justin Anstett of Agawam, as the team’s new chapter gets underway, “I think he’s an amazing coach, and I don’t agree with it (the decision) at all.”

Anstett is a lifelong Boston Red Sox fan. His team is so important to him; he has the logo tattooed on his arm.

This past weekend, he and other fans got a gut punch; learning World Series-winning manager Alex Cora was unexpectedly fired, “I don’t think a coach should ever be fired at the beginning of the season, you know? I think they should get a chance to actually play and see what happens.”

Despite a big win, the move came as Red Sox remained in last place in their division. The firing ended a seven-plus season stint with the team, including the 2018 Championship year.

However, it wasn’t just Cora who was let go. The team also parted ways with five members of the coaching staff, including hitting coach and Hampden native Peter Fatse.

Red Sox owner John Henry put out a statement Saturday night, saying in part, “These decisions are never easy, but this one is especially difficult given what Alex has meant to the red sox since the day he arrived.””

Western Mass News also caught up with Gabby Maljanian, a die-hard Boston fan from Connecticut who hosts the locked on Red Sox and Boston balling podcasts.

Maljanian has covered this team through some stunning moves. She says this one ranks right up there with last year’s trade of Rafael Devers, “I feel like this is something where the front office got into desperation mode of saying, you know, ‘we need to change something, and this is a drastic change we can make now that sends a message of we’re still serious about winning.’”

Maljanian says firing some coaches was justified, but she believes the real problem was roster construction, not management.

That said, Sunday marked the start of a new chapter for the franchise, as former Worcester Woo Sox manager Chad Tracy will serve as Boston’s interim manager. “His baseball IQ is incredibly high. He just knows the game really well, and he really takes an interest in each of these players,” Maljanian explains.

With a little more than five months to go in the regular season, Red Sox nation is optimistic their team will make the playoffs. Chad Tracy will make his Fenway Park debut as interim manager Friday, May 1st, against the Houston Astros.