Mookie Betts had a talk with Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora after Wednesday night’s loss to the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
It worked.
Betts, who had struck out twice in each of his last two contests, went 4-for-5 with a home run and five RBIs on Thursday night to lift the Red Sox to an 11-6 win over the Yankees. The performance helped Boston clinch its third straight American League East title and enhanced Betts’ AL MVP case.
So, what did Cora say to Betts? Pretty much the same thing he’s told the Red Sox star all season.
“He sat me down and told me to relax,” Betts said after Thursday’s division-clinching victory. “He said, ‘You’ve had a great season.’ He repeatedly tells me, ‘There is no doubt you’re the best player in the league.’ ”
That’s a major compliment, although Cora hasn’t been shy in his public praise of Betts. The sentiment isn’t without merit, either, as Betts leads Major League Baseball in WAR this season and belongs in the same conversation as Mike Trout, who’s widely considered the best player in the game.
Now, with the division wrapped up, the Red Sox’s focus will shift to planning for the postseason. And don’t worry. Cora has a message for that, too, telling his team after Thursday’s win that it hasn’t accomplished anything yet and still needs to win 11 games in October.
“From the beginning, (Cora) told us that we’re a special group,” Betts said. “We have a great group of guys. We believe it. It’s just our job to go out and show up.”
