Red Sox Notes: Alex Cora Hoping ‘Fun Starts’ With Milestone Win

In building their winning streak to five games on Monday, the Boston Red Sox also gifted manager Alex Cora a milestone victory.

The 9-3 win over the Minnesota Twins at Target Field was Cora’s 400th as Red Sox manager, making him just the ninth manager to reach that milestone in the franchise’s history. In the immediate aftermath, Cora reflected on his path to Boston’s bench.

“I’ve gotta thank my family,” Cora said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “They’ve grinded with me since Day 1. I put them in a bad situation a few years ago and the fact that they’re here means a lot. The fact that (my wife) Angelica is here, the fact that the boys are here — Mami, my mom, she texted me already.

“I told the guys, ‘It’s been a lot of players, a lot of coaches, different front offices but the same ownership.’ The fact that they trusted me in November of 2017 and then after the suspension, they trusted me again. Here we are. It took a while, 300 was (in Minnesota) and now 400 was here — it took a lot longer than expected but I tip my hat to everyone who has been a part of this.”

Though he did take time to reflect on achieving the milestone, Cora made it clear that he expected Monday’s win to represent more of the Red Sox’s future.

“The line was moving before we started scoring runs the last few days,” Cora said. “Now we’re getting the big hits, so hopefully the fun starts.”

Here are more notes from the Monday’s Red Sox-Twins game:

— Cora ranks third (.555) in winning percentage among the nine managers to reach 400 wins in Red Sox history, according to Red Sox senior manager of media relations and baseball information J.P. Long. He trails just Don Zimmer (.575) and Terry Francona (.574).

— The Red Sox continued to play improved defense, with Pablo Reyes and Rafael Devers each stealing hits from the Twins with sensational plays.

1️⃣1️⃣ Smooth like butter 🎶 #RedSox pic.twitter.com/DDjmk879rt

— NESN (@NESN) June 20, 2023

Your daily dose of Pablo Reyes. pic.twitter.com/nXGxWPotPN

— Red Sox (@RedSox) June 20, 2023

Triston Casas spoke about his defensive improvements postgame.

“Thanks for noticing (improvement) Jahmai,” Casas said to NESN sideline reporter Jahmai Webster. “I have been working really hard on it. Everyone in this organization is a perfectionist, so we want to make sure that when I step out on the field I’m giving the team the best chance to win.”

— Jarren Duran went 3-for-3 with three doubles and two RBIs before being pinch-hit for by Rob Refsnyder in the sixth inning. That stat line is just the fourth of its kind in Major League Baseball history.

He also broke two bats in his three plate appearances, which will likely prompt a fresh shipment to Target Field at some point this week.

— Christian Vázquez hit his first home run of the season Monday, picking the perfect time to do so. The ex-Red Sox catcher tied the game at three runs apiece with his fifth-inning blast. It was his first home run in his last 91 games, according to Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe.

— The Red Sox and Twins will continue their four-game set Tuesday. First pitch from Target Field is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.