Red Sox Manager Alex Cora Pokes Fun At His Decision Making
Roman Anthony should always be in the lineup
Boston Red Sox rookie Roman Anthony is off to about as good a start as anyone could have asked for. He was slow out of the gate in terms of results, but the underlying numbers suggested a breakout was coming.
Since the All-Star break, the Red Sox rookie has posted a .966 OPS. On Tuesday, in the Red Sox’s 14-1 victory over the Houston Astros, he drew four walks and homered. He also struck out on a check swing call that very easily could have been ball four, and his fifth walk of the evening.
Despite hitting .210 in the first month of his career, Anthony is in elite company when it comes to starting out in the big leagues. He’s been fairly matchup-proof as well, homering off of left-handed pitching in back-to-back games.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora didn’t quite know the player he had on his hands when Anthony arrived in Boston. In his first career game, Cora pinch-hit Rob Refsnyder for Anthony in the bottom of the 11th inning. While Refsnyder drew a walk, Cora doesn’t anticipate making that move again.
“Man, we pinch hit for [Anthony] in the first game of his career,” Cora said. “Who was the dumbass who did that?”
Anthony has had more success against right-handed pitching, but his OPS against lefties is .805, well above the league average.
He’s started to find his home run swing as well, and the power comes against both sides of the plate. He has four home runs on the season, three of which have come against left-handed pitching.
It’s safe to say Anthony will be a mainstay in the Red Sox lineup for years to come.
