Red Sox’s Alex Cora Defends Yolmer Sánchez’s Behind-The-Back Play

The Boston Red Sox dropped their sixth game out of their last seven Tuesday night at Fenway Park.

The festivities were cut short on the night Boston honored David Ortiz for making the Baseball Hall of Fame, as the Red Sox lost, 8-3, to the Cleveland Guardians.

A fourth-inning miscue stood out as second baseman Yolmer Sánchez retrieved a Josh Naylor groundball. But the angle in which Sánchez was in forced him to toss the ball behind his back to Xander Bogaerts at second base. The Red Sox were unable to execute the double play and close out the inning, and the Guardians scored two runs due to the error.

While fans may criticize Sánchez for the lack of execution, manager Alex Cora had a different perspective.

“That’s a tough one right there,” Cora told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “I think he just went straight out there and just his instincts — if he goes like this (extend his arm straight out), he probably doesn’t get it there. I know that for a fact. When you’re taking ground balls, you rehearse all that stuff. I don’t want to say it’s a desperate move, but when you’re full extension that way, the only way you can actually do it is that way (behind the back). So I don’t mind that.”

The play was ironically one Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez made in the 2022 Major League All-Star game on July 19. Chicago White Sox Tim Anderson completed the play, though in fairness to Sánchez, the play was likely intended to be flashy because of the context of the game.

Sánchez has filled in for Trevor Story, who is on the injured list due to a right hand contusion. The 30-year-old will likely learn from the experience as the Red Sox hope to build momentum in the second half of the season.