The Boston Red Sox drew on almost all of their squad’s strengths on Tuesday night and fought their way to a 6-5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in overtime at the Rogers Centre.
Alex Cora loves games where he can play chess with his lineup card. That would be an understatement in Boston’s 80th win of the season. The Red Sox used eight pitchers and 14 outfielders. The only players on the active roster who weren’t on the field were the four other starting pitchers and relievers Greg Weissert and Josh Winckowski.
For that reason, this win ranks among a surprisingly high order for Cora during his six-year tenure as manager of the Red Sox.
“It was fun,” Cora told reporters, according to NESN’s post-game coverage. “We put ourselves in that position. Obviously, it’s not a perfect one. For us, it’s just going out there and trying to make the best of it. The guys did a great job and fought until the end. We used everybody. It was one of the most satisfying wins since I’ve been here.”
The story continues below the ad
The Red Sox manager expressed this attitude despite having 17 postseason wins and a World Series title in his career as a manager in Boston. This style of play clearly fits the Boston manager and the identity this team has when playing his brand of baseball.
“How we did it,” Cora added. “Obviously, October 28, 2018 is the biggest. Kind of like the fighting and battling in the dugout. The guys that pitched and the guys that ended up playing the game. Yeah, I’m telling you, man. It was a lot of anxiety and we were very nervous, but we did it.”
Most teams not in the playoffs would lose a game in which they are down 3-0 in the final week of the season. Tuesday night’s bold, strategic approach prevented such an outcome for the Red Sox.
“It was a great team win,” Brayan Bello told reporters, according to NESN’s postgame coverage. “The guys never gave up. I was sitting on the bench trying to cheer them on. The guys in the bullpen did a great job as well. I think it was a great team effort tonight.”
The story continues below the ad
Boston’s chances of making the playoffs are still slim with four games remaining, but the team still wants to finish strong and give itself a chance.
“It’s a matter of life or death,” Trevor Story told NESN’s Jahmai Webster after the win. “We have to get it done. We don’t put too much pressure on ourselves. Everyone has written us off. We just show up the next day and try to win. That’s our job tomorrow.”
more Red Sox
Red Sox Wrap: Boston makes comeback against Blue Jays
Reading time: 3 min.
Here are more notes from Tuesday’s Red Sox game against the Blue Jays:
– Vaughn Grissom recorded just the third three-hit game of his MLB career and his first as a member of the Red Sox.
The story continues below the ad
— Chase Shugart entered the game in the 10th inning and recorded his first MLB save.
— Boston scored all six runs starting in the seventh inning. The Red Sox picked up their fifth win of the season despite trailing after six innings.
— In the American League wild-card race, the Kansas City Royals beat the Washington Nationals 1-0 to move 3 1/2 games ahead of the Red Sox for the last spot. The Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners also remain between Kansas City and Boston.
– With two wins that clinched the series victory in Toronto, the Red Sox return to .500 against the AL East in 2024 with a 23-23 record. They also improved to 8-4 against the Blue Jays this season.
The story continues below the ad
– Boston has four straight wins for the first time since winning five straight games from June 30-July 5.
— The Red Sox and Blue Jays finish their three-game series Wednesday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. ET. You can watch the game and an hour of pregame coverage on NESN.
