Why Alex Cora called the Red Sox win “one of the most gratifying since I’ve been here”

TORONTO — It’s very likely too little, too late now. Too much of the season has already passed and there are too few games left. The math remains highly problematic.

But the fact remains that the Red Sox are not giving up. They are not giving in to the temptation to go home gently.

In other words, they don’t give up – neither quietly nor silently.

On Tuesday night, they felt like victims of some of their worst habits all season, not least of which was a lack of performance with runners in scoring position. They were abysmal 2-for-12 late in the game, coming off a 1-for-9 performance on Monday in a series-opening win. Despite some crucial at-bats in the final inning, they finished the game 4-for-17 in that category.

But after tying the score in the eighth inning, they scored three runs in the first and then fought for their lives in the second half of the inning as the Toronto Blue Jays came within one run with the bases loaded. It was only a gentle pass to temporary third baseman Enmanuel Valdez that secured the win – 6-5 in 10 innings.

It was the fourth straight win for the Red Sox and they are 3.5 games out of the third wild card spot. Again, the odds are very slim for them. The thing is, the Red Sox don’t seem to care.

Alex Cora, who was preparing to answer questions after the game with a satisfied grin, called the victory “one of the most gratifying victories since I’ve been here.”

That covers a lot and may have been a bit over the top. But after using every one of his 14 outfielders and every one of his available relievers – Greg Weissert and Josh Winckowski were considered unavailable – it was easy to forgive Cora’s over-the-top rhetoric.

The game had everything going for it, including a double switch in the 10th inning, four different players changing positions during the game, and rookie Chase Shugart, who had already allowed one run, barely sneaking away with his first major league save.

“It was fun,” Cora concluded. “We put ourselves in this position and of course it’s not a perfect one. But for us it’s just about going out there and trying to make the best of it. The guys did a great job and fought until the end. We used everyone.”

Cora used 25 players during the game, and had it not been for a double substitution late in the game, he would likely have had to use a pitcher to bat at the start of the 11th inning.

“We’re trying to win the game,” Cora said, shrugging. “You can’t do that every time… The fighting and the energy in the bench. I’m telling you, man, there was a lot of nerves and we did it.”

One of the unlikely heroes was Vaughn Grissom, who had three hits, including one that ultimately led to the win – a sharp single to left in the top of the 10th inning.

“If you can give your team a chance to get away that late in the game … awesome,” said Grissom, who returned to the major leagues just last week after spending much of the year in Triple-A.

Grissom’s first half in Boston was a disaster, a mix of injuries and poor performance. But after really turning things around in Triple A over the last month, he was able to carry some of that momentum into the playoff race.

“That’s huge. Obviously I missed a lot of time,” he said. “It was good to just go out there and compete with the guys and put ourselves in a good position, you know?”

Earlier this year, Grissom seemed broken, unsure how to recover and physically limited, but now his confidence has returned just in time.

“It’s a big deal,” he said. “When I first got here, I was searching a little bit. But I just feel confident and that takes care of a lot of things for me. In these big moments, I’m confident and I feel like I can be successful against anyone.”

To make this worthwhile, the Red Sox will likely have to win their remaining four games. And They’ve had help from the teams currently ahead of them in the table, but by delaying elimination for a day, however slim their chances, they’ve learned a few things about themselves.

“We’re not going to back down from a fight,” Grissom vowed. “We’re just going to keep our heads down and apply pressure and see what happens.”