Eduardo Rodriguez wanted to help the Boston Red Sox get a win with more than just his left arm.
The southpaw wanted to contribute at the plate during Saturday’s World Series Game 4 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. But manager Alex Cora didn’t want him to take any chances.
During the third inning, Rodriguez was up to bat against LA starter Rich Hill. Instead of laying off like his manager asked, though, the pitcher elected to take a hack. The bat went flying out of the lefty’s hands and toward the Red Sox’s dugout, but thankfully, for the team and Rodriguez, it didn’t hit anyone.
When Cora asked his young lefty why he disobeyed the order, Rodriguez dropped a pretty good line.
Alex Cora on Eduardo Rodriguez: "First at-bat, I didn't want him to swing because I didn't want him to run. And he said that, 'I was ahead in the count and that was a pitch I could do damage with.' I've heard a lot of stuff throughout the year, he topped it."#ERodDoDamage
— Christopher Smith (@SmittyOnMLB) October 28, 2018
Rodriguez was doing damage on the mound up to that point, so it only makes sense he wanted his bat to make some noise, too.
The Red Sox have a chance to be crowned champions of baseball Sunday night when they look to put away the Dodgers at 8:15 p.m. ET.
