Even with the Red Sox having secured their second straight postseason berth, the magnitude of Craig Breslow’s gamble five months ago remains startling.
There have been times when teams reacted to slow starts with a managerial or coaching staff change. But longtime members of the industry could not recall anything like the shakeup enacted by Breslow in April, when he fired manager Alex Cora and replaced six other members of the coaching staff.
It was a move that departed from convention both for when it happened (barely a month into the season) and the extent of the change. It also pointed to an emerging theme of Breslow’s time as chief baseball officer: The willingness of the Sox to take significant in-season risks.
Read Alex Speier's story at BostonGlobe.com/Sports. | 
