The Red Sox started the 1950 season slowly; by late June, they were 31-28, eight games out of first. On June 21, McCarthy didn't show up for a game against the Chicago White Sox, leading to speculation that he was drinking again. McCarthy insisted he would remain in the dugout. However, Cronin suspected that McCarthy had lost his competitive fire, and persuaded him to resign. In 24 seasons as a major-league manager, he never managed a team to a losing record.