Alex Cora knows a thing or two about the Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees rivalry, having experienced it as a player, a broadcaster and now a manager.
That’s to say the Red Sox skipper fully understands each head-to-head matchup’s importance, intensity and, well, length.
It’s rare the Red Sox and Yankees finish their games in under three hours, with some showdowns extending well beyond that. So with the Red Sox traveling to the Bronx Friday for the start of a three-game series, Cora decided to make a bet with some Boston beat reporters.
“If we play three games under two and a half hours, I’ll take all you guys, everybody to dinner,” Cora joked with reporters at Fenway Park on Thursday night before the Red Sox’s series finale against the Los Angeles Angels, per MassLive.com. “It’s on me.”
Hmm… that sounds nice. Cora even offered to let the reporters pick the restaurant.
Of course, the likelihood of Cora, who played four seasons with the Red Sox from 2005 to 2008, having to make good on his promise is slim. This weekend figures to be highly entertaining, for sure, as the Red Sox (55-27) and Yankees (52-26) boast the top two records in Major League Baseball and probably will fight for the American League East title all season. You’ll just need to devote some time to the action: Boston ranks fourth in average game length at 3 hours and 11 minutes, while New York is right behind its rival at 3 hours and 9 minutes.
“We’re ready for a long weekend. I know that,” Cora said.
Long, but fun.
