The Boston Red Sox entered the 2022 campaign with one of the league's most complete lineups and there's a chance we look back on Sunday's eighth inning against the Minnesota Twins as the coming out party.
The Red Sox, holding a mere one-run lead at the time, broke out for six runs on seven hits in the eighth inning and in turn ran away with a 8-1 victory over the Twins.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora referred to the win as Boston's best offensive effort.
"And offensively, although it didn't look great in the beginning, I do believe that was our best effort," Cora said after the game, as seen on NESN's postgame coverage. "Regardless if there was like 15 outs in 25 pitches, it looked like, it's not that we were panicking or speeding up. We were executing our plan. We just missed a few pitches. And then after that, little by little, we did what we did and that was a good offensive effort."
"Even if it was a 2-1 game, the final, I was very pleased with the at bats today," Cora added. "It seems like we're getting close to who we are."
Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts (3-for-4, two runs, RBI) believes the group showcased what it's capable of, too.
"Yeah, I mean, one through nine, we're definitely up there with one of the best lineups in the game and it was just a mater of time," Bogaerts told NESN's Jahmai Webster during postgame coverage. "You know, a lot of guys were hitting the ball hard. We ran into some tough pitching, guys locating the ball well, our game plan has been good, but just some times you run into some bad luck. But overall, today was kind of like the offense we're capable of."
Trevor Story added: "That's what we preach. That's what we pride ourselves on."
Here are more notes from Red Sox-Twins:
-- Michael Wacha gave the Red Sox a dominant start for the second straight contest. Wacha, one day after Tanner Houck's scoreless start, handcuffed the Twins while allowing just one hit in five innings.
"He was really good," Cora said. "I've been saying all along what he did the second half last year (with Tampa Bay Rays) was really good. And so far, in two starts (9 1/3 innings), doing the things he's doing, letting the defense make plays. It's fun to watch."
-- Bogaerts was down on his individual performance leading into Saturday's game and in the last two contests, the Red Sox shortstop has turned it on with his first home run of the season and his second three-hit game of the campaign.
"Yeah, man. You just got to understand the type of player you are, have a lot of confidence in yourself, a lot of faith," Bogaerts told Webster. "Things will turn around. Sometimes we always want it to be on our time but that's not always the way it's going to go."
-- Rafael Devers continued to swing a hot bat Sunday (2-for-4, two runs), but it was his defense which earned him some added points from Cora. Devers made a great effort on fifth-inning fly out as he tracked the ball down in center field to help Boston avoid runners on first and second with nobody out.
"That was unreal. That's a lot of points to his defensive save whatever," Cora said. "Very pleased with the defense that we're playing right now."
-- Veteran Rich Hill will make his third start of the season on Marathon Monday in the final game of the Red Sox-Twins series. First pitch is set for 11:10 a.m. ET, and you can watch it on NESN with pregame coverage starting at 10 a.m.
