The art of broadcasting a big moment
When Alex Cora was asked about the construction of his roster throughout spring training, one certainty was always surfaced: Everything was going to revolve around the Ceddanne Rafaela decision.
It was likely that Rafaela was going to make the Red Sox, appearing in 28 major league games last season and possessing a skill-set that seemingly fit what Cora's club needed. But there were no guarantees. He needed to hit fastballs. There needed to be better plate discipline. Rafaela simply had to give the impression he belonged.
He belongs.
There was no better evidence of why Rafaela's existence fits like a glove on this team than Tuesday night in Oakland. It was the 11th inning with the Red Sox leading by a run and Shea Langeliers representing the go-ahead run at the plate.
Langeliers tore into a 95.6 mph sinker from Josh Winckowski, launching it deep into center field for what appeared to be at least a game-tying extra-base hit. But out of nowhere flew Rafaela, who had moved back to the outfield after filling the second base position earlier in the game.
The ball flew off the bat at 103.6 mph and traveled 391 feet, but it was no match for the Red Sox' center fielder. Traveling at 29.3 feet per second and covering 92 feet, Rafaela made the game-saver.
"That was unbelievable," Winckowski told reporters. “I was watching it turn and kind of keep going to right-center even farther and farther away from Rafaela, and the fact that he caught it was unbelievable. Obviously, it 100 percent saved the game and it was a crazy play."
"Having some time to decompress from it now, it’s just baseball,” Langliers said to reporters. “He made a hell of a play. It seemed like he just floated to it. In my head, off the bat, I thought I at least tied the game with a double. It just sucks. But that’s just baseball."
This was why Cora viewed Rafeala as the epicenter of his roster decisions back in March.
The Red Sox' roster not only has more flexibility than in recent years thanks to Rafaela, but the presence of the 23-year-old in center field helps define Cora's 2024 mission statement: Better defense. More Athletic. Better pitching.
"From my end, yeah, I knew he had it," Cora explained to reporters after his team improved to 4-2. “He had it the whole time. That's what we do now. We play better defense and we pitch a lot better."