Sox decision on manager closes in

As of last night, the Red Sox had yet to make a decision about who their next manager will be.

But with the Dodgers clinching a spot in the World Series by eliminating the Cubs last night and the Yankees one win away from taking out the Astros, a window of opportunity will open for the Red Sox to make an announcement.

As soon as tomorrow, the World Series matchup could be locked in, which means the Sox would likely be cleared by Major League Baseball to formally declare their choice for manager.

But team president Sam Kennedy said the interview process was still ongoing.

President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski offered a similar response.

“We have not made any final decisions,” he said.

Alex Cora, the Astros bench coach considered the front-runner, was the first to interview. He played for the Red Sox from 2005-08 and understands the market, has experience on the coaching staff of a winning team and is considered a strong communicator, all factors that Dombrowski mentioned as important ones.

Former Tigers manager Brad Ausmus was next to interview. He was Dombrowski’s choice four years ago in Detroit. Former Twins manager and Arizona Diamondbacks bench coach Ron Gardenhire was interviewed Wednesday, but yesterday Fox Sports reported the Tigers were going to hire Gardenhire to fill their vacancy at manager.