Boston Red Sox ALCS: Alex Cora ‘all in’ and so is Red Sox Nation

Alex Cora made all the right moves as the Boston Red Sox advanced to the American League Championship Series with a 4-3 series-clinching win over the New York Yankees.

Now Alex Cora is manager we can all get behind. Behind the strong performance of Rick Porcello, the Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Yankees in Game 4 of the American League Division Series to move on to face the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series.

While it was players like Porcello who helped the Red Sox finally get over the playoff hump they haven’t been able to get over the last two seasons, the manager may be the prime reason they are where they are.

With moves that would probably be second guessed if they did not work out, Cora approached this playoff run with an “all in” approach, making gambles that paid off in both games in New York.

Let’s start with his decision to move Nathan Eovaldi up to start Game 3. Recognizing Eovaldi’s success against the Yankees, Cora went with the hard throwing righty knowing that he had a fresh bullpen to come in if Eovaldi got in trouble early.

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The Boston Red Sox went on to defeat the Yankees 16-1 to take a 2-1 lead in the series. Not only did the move to start Nathan Eovaldi play off, his decision to insert Brock Holt into the lineup paid off offensively. In hitting for the first cycle in major league history, Holt sparked the Red Sox offense in handing the Yankees their worst loss in their long playoff history.

Then, there was Game 4. He could’ve ridden the hot bat of Brock Holt but decided to go back to Ian Kinsler who knocked in an important run in the game. In defending that decision following the game, Alex Cora simply said he it was a different moment and different time.

"“Honestly, somebody asked me earlier, it wasn’t that hard, this one,” Cora said, as transcribed by WEEI. “I know he’s swinging the bat well and I know what he did yesterday, but this is a different game and we feel this is the best lineup that we have to go against him and they understand that.”"

Cora also stuck with Christian Vazquez over Sandy Leon. That decision resulted in another run as Vazquez hit a solo homerun that ended up being the game winner, making the score 4-0 at the time.

Management of the bullpen

Alex Cora’s biggest gamble came following the fifth inning. His decision to go to Matt Barnes as the first pitcher out of the bullpen in the sixth showed that the Red Sox manager had something up his sleeve. That something, was his decision to use Chris Sale out of the bullpen in the eighth inning.

Up 4-1, Cora went all in and it ultimately paid off. No second guesses here. Sale came in the game and shut down the New York Yankees bats 1-2-3. All of that would’ve went for not if Craig Kimbrel blew the game in the ninth (which he almost did), but the aggressiveness of the Boston Red Sox manager has them in the ALCS.

Following the game, Sale said Cora laughed when he said he wanted the ball at some point in the game.

"“I don’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing,” Sale said, via MLB.com. “But I feel like it worked out.”"

Following the 4-3 victory, that laugh may have been the laughter of a gambler when he knows he has the cards to win a hand. Ironically, he will now face the team that taught him how to play that hand. All season long, the Boston Red Sox have proven to be a different team. They rise up and respond to adversity and that comes from Alex Cora.

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Now that the manager and the players prove they are all in, so is Red Sox Nation. Let the heavy weight matchup begin. Bring on the defending world champion Houston Astros.

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