Championship Series appearances, including three consecutive ALCS appearances from 2011 to 2013, and two AL pennants, in 2006 and 2012. Prior to his hiring, the Tigers had missed the playoffs in fourteen consecutive seasons, and had just four playoff appearances in the 60 season stretch from 1946 to 2005. Boston Red Sox On August 18, 2015, Dombrowski was named the president of baseball operations of the Boston Red Sox. At the announcement of his hiring, the Red Sox also announced that general manager Ben Cherington would step down. In September, Dombrowski filled Cherington's post with senior vice president Mike Hazen. Dombrowski made his first significant trade for the Red Sox in November, when he acquired closer Craig Kimbrel from the San Diego Padres for four prospects. He also signed high-profile free agent pitcher David Price to a seven-year, $217 million contract. In Dombrowski's first full season with the team, the 2016 Red Sox won 93 regular-season games and the American League East division title, but were swept in the 2016 American League Division Series by the eventual AL champions, the Cleveland Indians. In mid-October, Hazen resigned from the Red Sox to take an expanded role as executive vice president and general manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Dombrowski chose not to appoint a successor, assuming general manager responsibilities without the added title, and promoting other Red Sox executives to key supporting positions, including former MLB general managers Frank Wren and Allard Baird. Prior to the 2017 season, Dombrowski acquired starting pitcher Chris Sale from the White Sox, in exchange for four prospects including Yoan Moncada. The 2017 Red Sox won their division again, but lost the 2017 American League Division Series to the eventual World Series champions, the Houston Astros. In October, Dombrowski fired John Farrell, who had served five years as Boston's manager. Later that month, Dombrowski hired Alex Cora, then bench coach of the Astros, to be the next Red Sox manager. The 2018 Red Sox won their division for the third consecutive season; the team recorded 108 wins, the most in franchise history. The team went on to win the 2018 World Series, with a pitching staff led by players that Dombrowski had acquired—including Kimbrel, Price, and Sale—along with designated hitter J. D. Martinez, whom Dombrowski had acquired in February 2018. It was Dombrowski's first championship since he was general manager of the Marlins in 1997, and he