Boston Red Sox players voiced anger and confusion Sunday over the dismissal of manager Alex Cora following a 10-17 start. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow addressed the team pregame, but several players found his explanation unsatisfactory.

Veteran shortstop Trevor Story was among the most vocal. He called Cora and the departed coaches "some of the best coaches in the world" and said he felt they were not given a fair opportunity.

"If this shows us anything," Story said, "it's we're here to play baseball, and that's it. We don't make decisions. We don't have any input on that."

Pitcher Garrett Whitlock described a brief, subdued clubhouse meeting. Breslow spoke for two minutes. New manager Chad Tracy addressed players for three to five minutes. Team president Sam Kennedy and owner John Henry stood silently against a wall.

"They made it very clear that we get paid to play baseball, and we need to just focus on playing baseball," Whitlock said. "So that's where we're at."

Cora was one of five staff members dismissed Saturday, joined by hitting coach Peter Fatse, third-base coach Kyle Hudson, bench coach Ramon Vazquez, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson, and major-league hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin.

Despite the turmoil, players expressed confidence in Tracy, who managed several current Red Sox players at Triple-A Worcester last season. Story called Tracy "a great baseball mind."

Roman Anthony offered a measured but determined assessment of the situation.

"We can still win the World Series," Anthony said. "The standard for me remains the same. My commitment to this team, this city, these people, is still the exact same."