Boston Red Sox: Cora unlocks the right combination to beat the Rays
The Boston Red Sox outstanding manager, Alex Cora unlocked the right combination to beat the AL East champion 100-win Tampa Bay Rays Monday night at Fenway Park in Boston.
In what was an improbable turn of events, after losing the first game of the best three out of five series the Sox went on to win three straight.
Those wins have marched them right into the American League Championship Series (ALCS) for the first time since the World Series-winning Red Sox in 2018 also under Cora. No accident there.
So how has this up-and-down team all-season long been able to put deliver first an impressive knock-out punch to the New York Yankees in the Wild Card game and now a TKO of the Rays?
Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora is a Master Locksmith
Alex Cora’s hiring was hailed as the best offseason move by Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer, Chaim Bloom and he’s fully justified that observation.
A World Series winner in 2018 with Boston, Cora is once again spinning his magic like a master locksmith unlocking the combination to an uncrackable safe.
The numbers to the lock were provided by young super personnel guru, Chaim Bloom who assembled a group of underappreciated talents for Cora to shape.
After multiple potentially crippling trials and tribulations, Cora has masterfully molded this disparate group into a spirited take-no-prisoners bunch.
Against all odds, somehow they have seemed to dispatch both the powerful Yankees and the outstanding Rays and move onto the ALCS.
Bloom seemingly was put on notice to reduce payroll. He unloaded costly talents like Mookie Betts and David Price, and yet still fashioned a team that could go deep into the playoffs.
It was easier said than done. Yet, that’s exactly what he did. The current version of the famous 2004 “Dirt dogs” seems able at least to this point to overcome any and all adversity in its path.
Boston Red Sox 2021 team a huge success no matter what now happens
This unexpectedly excellent showing by the Red Sox was certainly fashioned by Cora and Bloom. Bloom put the numbers into Cora’s hands and he has brilliantly fashioned the right combination.
Starting with All-Stars like Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, and J.D. Martinez, while then adding great pieces like Kike Hernandez, Hunter Renfroe, and Kyle Schwarber has made the lineup click.
On the pitching side, new ace, Nathan Eovaldi, last year’s best Eduardo Rodriguez, key acquisition Nick Pivetta, and newly returned from injury Chris Sale solidified the starting rotation.
In the bullpen, the irrepressible Garret Whitlock, a Rule 5 pickup from the Yankees (and we thank you!) has been brilliant as a reliever in his first season in the majors.
He has continued that excellence into the postseason while starter Pivetta has been shifted by Cora into a relief role and has dazzled there, as well.
No matter what happens in the ALCS against either the Houston Astros or the Chicago White Sox, the 2021 Boston Red Sox season has already been a resounding success.
Of whom little is expected, much can sometimes be achieved. That sums up this 2021 version of the Red Sox.
This is a team constructed by Chaim Bloom, shaped by Alex Cora (both of whom deserve post-season honors), and played by a bunch of gritty, never-say-never, underrated players.
This Red Sox team has already exceeded expectations by a country mile or the distance of a Kyle Schwarber home run. That’s a nice situation to be in.
Next. Top 5 performances from a victorious ALDS series. dark
In addition, it’s highly unlikely that any other team really wants to be matched up against a team that is absolutely on fire as the Red Sox are.
This version of the Boston Red Sox like its forebear in 2004 that was down three to zero against the Yankees, has absolutely nothing to lose.
Yet, on the plus side, this Red Sox club has everything to gain, is playing with “house money”, and might, just might “shock the world”. Frankly, I wouldn’t put it past them.