Alex Cora Defends Controversial Late Decision In Red Sox Loss
Alex Cora said the decision to not tag up was made before the game
The Boston Red Sox had countless chances to win Tuesday’s game over the Baltimore Orioles.
In the eighth, ninth and 10th innings, the Red Sox left the bases loaded. The tenth inning was the hardest pill to swallow, as the team loaded the bases with one out. Abraham Toro did the only thing he couldn’t do by hitting a ground ball directly to the second baseman for a double play.
In the eleventh inning, the Red Sox found themselves down a run after a swinging bunt scored the automatic runner who had advanced to third earlier in the inning. They pinch ran Nate Eaton at the beginning of the bottom half of the inning, who moved over to third via a Connor Wong sacrifice bunt.
With one out, Roman Anthony hit a fly ball to shallow center field. Orioles center fielder Colton Cowser caught the ball and fired home, but Eaton elected not to tag up. The throw was way off the mark, meaning Eaton likely would have been safe had he tagged. Alex Bregman popped out to end the game the next at-bat.
Hindsight is 20-20, but the Red Sox’s decision to hold Eaton at third might have lost them the game, at least in a vacuum. Alex Cora defended the decision after the game.
“That’s an impact arm in centerfield. We prepare before the series, and we decide who we’re going to challenge and not,” Cora said. “We prepare before the series, and that’s an impact arm, and we decided not to challenge,” the manager reiterated sternly.
According to Baseball Savant, Cowser has one of the best arms in baseball. His arm strength ranks in the 95th percentile, although his arm value is lower in the 75th percentile. There were also metrics supporting the decision to send Eaton. The Red Sox outfielder’s sprint speed is also in the 95th percentile according to Baseball Savant.
At the end of the day, the one decision wasn’t the only reason the Red Sox lost. Eaton’s run would have only tied the game, and the team was 0-13 with runners in scoring position. They left runners on base and paid the price.
The Red Sox travel to New York after an off-day for a four-game series with the New York Yankees.
