Alex Cora gives blunt, but realistic, assessment of Red Sox' season: 'We blew it'
The conversation about the Red Sox' future officially jumped to the forefront after their 6-1 loss to the Blue Jays Wednesday, officially eliminating Alex Cora's club from postseason consideration.
It was, in fact, a topic that really had leapfrogged the here and the now even before the math started mathing, as was evident in Cora's appearance on the WEEI Afternoon Show earlier in the day.
But in among all the giddiness that might come with thoughts of what might be in 2025 is the somber reality of what did happen in 2024.
It was slap in the face that Cora brought to the surface following the dream-ending defeat at Rogers Centre.
"Outside our walls here, nobody expected us to play meaningful games all the way until now," Cora told reporters. "But our goal was to make it to the playoffs. It didn’t happen, but it’s a good learning experience for those kids over there. I mean, at one point it felt like we were a playoff-caliber team, and then we missed the opportunity. Let’s put it that way. You look around, you look at the teams that are fighting, we had it right there and we blew it."
"We blew it." It's a fact. They did.
That doesn't mean there weren't success and moments of admiration for a team that many didn't believe could get to 80 wins, particularly after prolonged injuries to Trevor Story and Triston Casas.
There was something to be said for this club's ability to consistently dig itself out from the grave and find a way to stay in the postseason conversation until the final week of the regular season. It was a message and a vibe that appeared prevalent among the players following their end-of-the-road moment in Toronto.
But even with all the overcoming of adversity and overachieving, it shouldn't be forgotten what kind of opportunity was at the Red Sox' collective fingertips.
As flawed, inexperienced and banged up as this roster was, the path to a World Series appearance had been cleared. That's how unimpressive the hierarchy of the American League has become. The Red Sox, however, just couldn't put one foot in front of the other enough to take advantage of this gift.
Look at what the A.L. postseason participants are presenting: 1. The Yankees are a team who enters October with uncertainty regarding two of their most important pitchers, Gerritt Cole and Nestor Cortes; 2. The Orioles are going to be without relied-upon starter Grayson Rodriguez are are 23-26 since Aug. 1; The Astros, Guardians, Royals and Tigers? They're OK, but just OK. None would separate themselves from the version of the Red Sox exhibited before the All-Star break.
The dagger moments have been well-documented, starting with those bullpen-induced losses to begin the season's second half in Los Angeles.
So have the reasons for what turned out to be a 27-36 record post-All-Star break. The starting pitching going through an ill-timed August rut. The offense disappearing for the last 1 1/2 months. And a group of relievers who surrendered a major league-high 177 runs since July 19, which was 100 greater than the Mets and 23 more than the second-worst group, the White Sox.
What's done is done, and, considering the evolution of many of the current major leaguers and the promise of the team's top prospects, there should be some giddiness when it comes to what lays ahead.
That, however, shouldn't blur the frustration that this landscape gave birth to. The conversation heading into the final weekend could have been different. Should have been different. It was a huge missed opporunity.
Oh, well. Moving on ...
