Alex Cora Drawing On Past Experience In Red Sox Playoff Push
Cora is taking it one day at a time
The Boston Red Sox’s grasp on the American League Wild Card is slipping. With the Red Sox’s loss to the Athletics and the Cleveland Guardians’ victory on Thursday, the lead is down to 1 1/2 games with nine games remaining.
The Red Sox own the tiebreaker over the Guardians, but Cleveland is red-hot. They’ve won 12 of their last 13 games, including a win over Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. While the Red Sox still control their own destiny, they can’t rely on Cleveland losing to back into the playoffs.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora has been through this before. In 2021, the Red Sox didn’t qualify for the playoffs until the final day of the season after a rocky September in which they went 14-11.
“I take it one day at a time. Don’t get too high, don’t get too low. It’s part of the season. It’s 162 for a reason,” Cora said.
Each game counts the same. The wins in June and July count the same as those in September. Still, each game is magnified, and the stakes can affect performance.
Over the three-game series with the Athletics, Boston was 5-30 with runners in scoring position. They left 26 men on base. For most of the season, the Red Sox have been a good offensive team, but they’ve struggled down the stretch. Fortunately, with a lead over the Guardians for the final spot, they can still win their way to the playoffs.
“We control our own destiny, so go to Tampa and win a series,” Cora said.
The Red Sox can only control their own results. The Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros play a three-game weekend series, so they’ll have an opportunity to make up ground over one of the two teams.
Boston travels to Tampa Bay for a three-game series with the Rays on Friday.
