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00:00The manager of the Red Sox, Alex Cora, joins us here on WEEI Afternoons, brought to you by
00:05Shaw's and Star Market, the official supermarket of the Red Sox radio network, by Arbella,
00:10here for baseball fans, here for good, and by John Sewer and Drain Cleaning, the name to know
00:14when your drains don't flow. Mr. Cora, I'm not even going to ask, I'm just going to assume you're
00:18doing pretty well today. I'm doing good. How are you guys? We're great. That was a hell of a fun
00:26baseball game last night from start to finish. We'll get into some of the details, but I wanted
00:30to first ask you a question, something I heard you talking about with Will Fleming on the pregame
00:34show yesterday, where you said it's alluded to, and I'm paraphrasing here, it's almost easier to
00:40manage in the postseason because there's no big picture. There's no looking ahead weeks down the
00:45road, next month, whatever. Is there some truth to that? Does it make your job a little bit easier
00:50that really the sole focus is winning a baseball game on a singular night?
00:56100%. 100%. What happened yesterday doesn't happen in August. We're not going to let him go
01:04100-whatever pitches. We probably have to go to the bullpen right after the seventh. It's not that we
01:11have a bad bullpen, but in the playoffs, it's all in. All in might be using the rover,
01:19like we call it, right? The starters coming in as relievers or letting your A's go out there and
01:27throw 117 pitches. That was a fun night. That was a fun game. Now, we just manage today,
01:36see what happens, and hopefully we can move on to Toronto. But if not, we have to be ready for
01:41tomorrow. Alex, I saw in the postgame that Crochet said it was going to be, or rather, he told you it
01:48was going to be a one-call-to-the-bullpen type of game. And then he later followed that up by saying
01:54it was arrogance that led him to say that and feel that way to you. Do you love that in your ace?
01:59And did you ever have any doubt that he had it last night?
02:03The stuff was great. Just one pitch that Volpe put a good swing on and drove it to right field. But
02:11after the first inning, he settled down. He started making pitches. And we have talked about this with
02:17him during the show. It looks like he gains momentum with the outing. And around the fifth inning,
02:22you could tell, you know, the delivery was clean. The pitches were great. Velocity was up there. And
02:30it was just one of those that you just sit back and enjoy the ride.
02:34No doubt. Alex, I'm going to try to get a two-for-one question in here and just talk about
02:38the two guys that are on your roster that have World Series rings, that being Alex Bregman and
02:43Roldis Chapman. What have they meant for you this year and specifically in that game last night?
02:50How important was that Alex Bregman insurance run and then the, you know, Roldis Chapman
02:55closing out the game with his fastball? What did you think of those two guys last night?
03:01I mean, Alex, he's the leader of the team. This guy is locked in. We just took the 1230 bus
03:10and he's there with us just going over game planning, what Rodin has done the last two weeks,
03:16how he's going to approach it. And this is what he does, right?
03:20throughout his career. He's been playing in October. He's been able to slow it down and
03:25he's been very successful in this month. And with Chappie yesterday, we talked about it
03:32after the game. You know, Judge hit it hard, but the other two were singles, you know, and
03:36he kept the ball in the ballpark. Then he threw a fastball off to Stanton, right, the first
03:42pitch, and he found it off. It was a check swing. And there he kind of like found it.
03:47And that was, I mean, electric, you know, and the atmosphere in this ballpark, man, what a place
03:55to be, right? Everybody was in it. And, you know, just happy that we won the game.
04:01You just mentioned earlier that, you know, it's different. It's a one-game season now. Things
04:06wouldn't have happened in August. We haven't seen you use Chapman multiple innings much. When we did,
04:11it didn't really work. You did that last night. Why did you feel confident doing that? And did you
04:16start to doubt yourself at any point when the bases were loaded with no outs?
04:20No, no, no, no. Probably other people were doubting that. But from my end, you know, we make decisions
04:26based on preparation. And he's the best reliever in the big leagues, you know, and stuff-wise
04:31in October, you know, swing and miss matters, right? And, you know, he's been so consistent.
04:38And it just happened that they were aggressive and it was a bloop single to right, a well-struck
04:43single up the middle and a bloop single to left, you know. But you cannot second guess
04:48yourself making decisions here. I know how it works, you know. Everybody's watching.
04:54Everybody's going to dissect every move. But if you worry about that, you're in the wrong
04:59business, you know. You just got to be locked in and have conviction behind the decisions
05:03we make as a team.
05:04Another night, Alex, a very big night, no less. Another different lineup and other,
05:10you know, more guys that you wouldn't have expected all the way back in March or April
05:13stepping up on technically the last night in September. Talk about how huge Yoshida was
05:19with that pinch hit and also Nick Sogard coming through with great base running and two hits
05:24last night.
05:24Yeah, Sogi, he's a good player. If you see him play a month or two months, you're like,
05:33man, he does everything well. It just happens that he comes here for a week and then we send
05:38him down. But very fundamental sound, you know. He does everything right. Yesterday put some
05:44good at-bats, played good defense. And the base running play is taking advantage of what's
05:49out there, right? And he did well. Eaton was good, too. You know, put the ball on. He got
05:56the double. And then Masa, he was ready. He was ready. We knew that they were going to
06:02pivot at one point to the righties. We only have one lefty in the bullpen. So try to maximize
06:07the roster. And he's been swinging the bat extremely well. It's hard for me not to play
06:10him. But understanding that we need to play defense and left field and playing JD makes the
06:16most sense for us. But having Nate and Masa coming off the bench is good for us.
06:22You know, Alex, last night was such a stark kind of reminder of the two contrasting styles
06:30in both of the ball clubs. And way back in spring training, you talked about how excited
06:35you were to have an athletic team. And last night, no errors, great base running, more
06:39kind of a small ball approach. Is this kind of what you had envisioned for this team all
06:45along? And it was on display last night?
06:48No, this is the personnel we have right now, right? When the season started, we had the
06:53two big boys hit in the middle of the lineup, Rafi and Casas. And they're not with us.
06:58You know, then Roman gets hurt. So now we have to, you know, grind at bats, get that pitch
07:03count up and try to get to the bullpen. We can run. We can put pressure on the opposition.
07:08Like I told the guys, you know, if you look back at the season, when we were playing really
07:12well, we use the whole field, we took our walks and ran the base as well and play defense.
07:16And yesterday was the case.
07:18Red Sox manager Alex Cora here with WEI Afternoons. Speaking of base running and speed, we know
07:23Trevor Story is one of the most efficient base dealers in Major League Baseball. That steal
07:28was huge. You ended up getting what I guess you could call an insurance run, but didn't
07:32seem like an insurance run. How much did that run change the ninth inning in terms of
07:37the way that game plays out with the Yankees getting base runners on but needing multiple
07:40runs? I mean, we always talk about, you know, just add on and then keep putting pressure
07:48on the opposition. And, you know, Trevor, like you said, just one of the best base runners
07:54in the big leagues, you know, and got a great jump, got their save. And then the kid, you
07:59know, put a great at bat, got a split a little bit up, right? And put a great swing for the
08:04double.
08:05Alex, I'm sure I speak on behalf of everyone in Red Sox Nation when I say that I think I
08:11may have had four or five micro heart attacks watching the game last night, one of which
08:15was the play where we thought Rafaela was going to track the ball down in center. And
08:20there comes Abreu streaking across from right field and catches it right in front of Rafaela's
08:25face who then leaves him looking like he saw a ghost. Did you have a quick conversation
08:30with Abreu and Rafaela about maybe calling the ball afterwards when they got to the dugout?
08:36No, they know. They know that they have to be better communication-wise. But one of the
08:41things I always joke around with the coaching staff, two or three years ago, nobody wanted
08:46to make that play. And now everybody wants to make it, which is great.
08:49Alex, just keeping with Rafaela, you know, people were saying last night that maybe was
08:56his best at bat and the guys had three walk-off hits to win you games this year. Just talk
09:00about that 0-2 hole he got in and then the 11-pitch walk he was able to garner leading
09:06to the two runs in that inning. Just what did you think of that at bat?
09:09I mean, amazing. And if we can do that consistently, we're going to have a great hitter, too. You
09:17know, and that's the thing. You know, the kid's only 25. This is his first playoff experience. And
09:24he changed the game without a bat. He was able to follow it up. The change-ups down, he was able
09:30to take it. And, you know, it was one of those that we always talk to him about it. Dominate the
09:36strikes and you have to dominate the strikes. And the last, I want to say the last 10 days,
09:40he's been a lot better at that. Alex, the beauty of these interviews now in the postseason,
09:45we asked you about last night's game, but now we quickly turn the page forward to tonight's game.
09:49Game two, you win the game, you win the series. Rodon on the mound for them. Lineup going to look
09:54the same? Will there be any changes? Can you give us a sneak peek at the lineup?
09:59It's going to be the same lineup. We're going to catch Narvi today. I think offensively,
10:03we need his bat there. And I know he hasn't caught Bayou in a while, but, you know,
10:08he'll be okay. They're going to be okay. And as far as the bullpen goes, Alex,
10:13save for Crochet, who I imagine will not be available. Is everyone available tonight?
10:20Yes, everybody's available. They got a bunch of lefties in the lineup. So, you know,
10:24our lefties have to be ready and hopefully they do the job.
10:28Is Chapman available tonight if you need him?
10:33Yeah, yeah. A hundred percent.
10:36With Bayou on the mound and obviously a very strong history, not only this season,
10:41but against the Yankees, any concern there with how the alteration of the catcher,
10:46the battery there, do you fear that that disrupts anything with him?
10:52No, I lived this in 18 with Chandler on and Rick Porcello coming to New York.
10:57And we decided to catch Christian Baskin. So, you know, I just feel like, you know,
11:04we need Narvi's bat in the lineup. He's one of the best defenders in the big league. So he'll be okay.
11:10And Alex, you have faced Rodon three times this season and have had some success against him,
11:15especially in two of those three outings. What kind of challenges does he present?
11:19And what's the key for success to your guys tonight against him?
11:23I think if Velo is going to dictate who he is, right, there's nights that he's throwing 99-100,
11:28others he's throwing 93-94. So we got to see who, who, who, which version of Rodon is going to be on the mound.
11:36It's like yesterday, Freed, right? The last one at home, he would throw 99.
11:40Yesterday, the Velo was 93-94. He threw a lot of Auspich pitches.
11:44So we have to, you know, that first time through a lineup, see where we're getting and go from there.
11:49Alex, your supporters use your track record in the postseason as an example of you being a weapon for your baseball team,
11:58that you're good at this, micromanaging, doing the little things, pulling the strings.
12:02Your detractors say, well, you know, he makes the big bucks. This is where he better prove how good he is.
12:08Do you, do you relish that opportunity or that challenge to, to sort of prove your supporters right and prove your detractors wrong?
12:17I just enjoy managing. I enjoy managing in October. I haven't been consistent at playing in October.
12:23Aaron Boone has been in October every, every single season, you know, and that's what I want.
12:28And whenever we have a chance as a group, we try to maximize the roster and win every game.
12:35Hey, Alex, a little birdie has told us, because we have spies everywhere, that you're walking around Yankee Stadium right now, just taking it all in.
12:43What is it, what is this like for you to be playing in Yankee Stadium?
12:46And what did you think of the support you got from the Red Sox fans that went to the game last night?
12:51No, that was fun. When Treshe was walking back to the dugout and Chappie was coming in, you could feel it, you know, standing ovation at the end.
13:02This place got loud with our fans and it's such a beautiful place, this stadium, you know, like I said yesterday, we, we feel comfortable here.
13:10Not, not because he's comfortable playing against them, but the clubhouse and the stadium and the stage, you know, I mean, it's, it's kind of like going to Fenway as a visitor, right?
13:19It's, it's, it's baseball. It's baseball. And, uh, we, we're trying to enjoy it.
13:23All right, Alex, uh, thank you for joining us. Thank you for the entertaining game last night.
13:27And can we, uh, pencil something in for next Wednesday?
13:31Amen to that.
13:32Amen. We'll talk to you next Wednesday. Good luck tonight, Alex. Thank you.
13:35Thanks, coach.
13:36See you, guys.
13:37See you.
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