Lessons learned from Zac Gallen
PHOENIX - That afternoon at Tropicana Field, seven months, five months, and 10 days ago probably seemed like a lifetime ago for Alex Cora. It was in St. Petersburg, Fla., that day the newbie manager counted the minutes until he officially started his career as a major league skipper.
The feeling that his team was actually good after six weeks of spring training. The deep fly ball hit by leadoff man Mookie Betts on the season's very first pitch. And, ultimately, a six-run eighth inning by the Rays that erased the Red Sox's 4-0 lead and left Cora waiting another day for Win No. 1.
But that win did come on Day 2. A deep breath was taken and the first lesson was learned: Winning in the major leagues should always be appreciated.
Six hundred victories later, nothing has changed.
The Red Sox's manager's milestone win Sunday afternoon at Chase Field, coming courtesy of a key 7-4 win over the Diamondbacks, offered all the feels of that first win. The grind. The maneuvering. And the satisfaction.
Different players. Different circumstances. Same vibe.
Everything from the pregame fist bumps with virtually every player in the Red Sox's clubhouse to the celebratory high-fives coming off the field, with some on-point in-game maneuvering along the way. It was all an example of why this 600th win was possible.
“Like I always said, it takes a lot of people to win games at this level, to win 600 games as a group," said Cora, who became the third Red Sox manager to reach such a win total, sitting only behind Joe Cronin (1,071 wins) and Terry Francona (744). "Since that first swing Mookie took in Tropicana Field all the way until the last pitch to Chappy (Aroldis Chapman), it takes a lot of effort, not only for the people in the clubhouse, but the trainers and the front office, and, more importantly, my family."
"There's a reason he hit 600 wins. It’s awesome," said Red Sox reliever Garrett Whitlock. "It's awesome to be like, hey, he's a people's person with your family and everything like that. He always takes the time to say hi to my wife, speak to my kid, everything like that. He does that with everyone. And then when it's game time, you can tell that it's AC. He’s not Alex, he’s AC. It’s awesome to see."
In this case, "AC" had his "A" game.
With the Red Sox facing a series sweep and some more last-season uneasiness, Cora called on Nick Sogard to pinch-hit for Connor Wong with two outs in the ninth inning, runners on first and second, and the game knotted at 4-4. The result was a well-placed double into the left-center field gap, finally allowing the Red Sox to reclaim some of the optimism they came to Arizona with.
It was also another example of how Cora and Co. have had to adjust due to roster turnover and the wear and tear that comes with a season. Unlike that team he rolled out for that first win in 2018, which ultimately would win 17 of their next 18 game after that initial loss, this roster is made up of some puzzle pieces barely considered when the blueprint was being drawn up.
"Everybody's engaged," the manager said. "We're going to grind. We've been hurt. We've been banged up throughout the season. We have been able to put ourselves in this situation. And we talked to the guys a few weeks ago. Just be ready. With the third catcher now, we can be creative. Ali (Sanchez) has only had one at-bat and has helped us win three games already because he's on the roster. So, we're going to continue to use everybody, maximize the roster and try to win as many games as possible to make it to October."
While the managerial bobbing and weaving by Cora was appreciated, he would also be the first to admit that winning as many games as possible on the way to October (and then within the month) will be predicated on the performance of a couple of the more relied-upon characters in Sunday's story.
The Red Sox are going to need the versions of Brayan Bello and Aroldis Chapman that Cora had at his disposal in this final game in the desert.
Bello turned in another solid outing, allowing three runs over six innings to cement his existence at the top of the Red Sox's suddenly wobbly starting rotation. And Chapman? Not only has he now not given up a hit to his last 50 batters, but he punctuated the remarkable run this time around by striking out four batters in one inning.
It was just the latest highlight for the Red Sox's closer, who became the third pitcher in team history to strike out four hitters in a single frame, joining Tim Wakefield and Craig Kimbrel. The only other pitcher in MLB to accomplish the feat this season was actually another current Red Sox, Steven Matz, who managed the feat with the Cardinals on June 19.
Ultimately, what this latest win in Cora's career represented was a reminder of what can be. The combination of having just enough firepower along with the manager's propensity to maximize a roster when it matters most surfaced thoughts of what might be in just a few weeks.
This version of Cora's club is 3 1/2 games out of first place, and 1 1/2 games behind the Yankees for the top wild card spot. It is, however, 3 1/2 over the Mariners, who sit in the third wild card position, and a full five ahead of the closest contender after Seattle, Texas. (The Red Sox do own the tiebreaker against the Yankees.)
The grind for the Sox is real these days, having to maneuver through a wave of injuries that have either sidelined key players or forced members of the roster to play with nagging bumps and bruises. All of it was put on display throughout this swing through Arizona.
But Sunday did allow for some reflection and appreciation. Again, winning in MLB is hard. It is a reminder Alex Cora has now been afforded 600 times.