Red Sox’s Alex Cora Notes ‘Important’ Difference From 2021 Team

BOSTON -- The Red Sox are in a dicey situation with just 17 games left before the end of the 2023 season.

Falling to the bottom end of the American League East division, and tied with the last-place Yankees, Boston is on the verge of slipping below New York. That threatens a third last-place finish in the last four seasons with 2021 remaining the last playoff hunt for the Red Sox -- which ended in the ALCS, two wins shy of a World Series appearance.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who's led two deep postseason runs with Boston, identified a pivotal difference between the 2021 and 2023 teams which helped propel one and anchor the other.

"Everybody talks about the magic run. It wasn't that magical, it was just a good team and solid starters that went deep into games," Cora said Wednesday at Fenway Park. "It was 33 starts, 32 starts, 31 starts. Nate (Eovaldi), (Nick) Pivetta, Eduardo (Rodríguez). ... Everybody talks about the bullpen, but the first six innings are very important because then you don't tax the bullpen."

Unlike the rotation in 2021, the Red Sox have leaned on much younger and much less experienced arms, which comes with the dog days of adjusting to making that big league leap. That doesn't always mesh well with a win-now goal, although, Boston continues to fight to prove otherwise amid its last-minute AL Wild Card run.

Boston has just two pitchers who've surpassed the 20-start mark -- Brayan Bello (25) and Kutter Crawford (20). With an unreliable rotation that's shifted left and right throughout the season, the Red Sox leaned on relief pitchers performing opening roles to try to fill the void.

"Some of these guys, they're learning at the big league level. It's not easy," Cora explained. "Repetitions in the minor leagues matter. You look around the league, I don't know where we at as far as age with our guys -- I know some of them are older or whatever -- but Kutter, Tanner (Houck), Bello, they don't have too many innings under their belt.

"... They're learning. They have to mature and hopefully next year with all the experience they have this year, we can get to that next level."

That might hint at where Boston's focus will direct come offseason time. The Red Sox (145 games into the season) amassed a 4.68 ERA, which ranks 22nd among all teams in Major League Baseball and last among AL East teams.