Perhaps they were just a few emotional words thrown out at an emotional time. That happens. But, nonetheless, they now have separated themselves.
When Alex Cora turned to his infielders on the Fenway Park mound while waiting for Josh Taylor to run in from the bullpen -- with the entire group staring at the bases loaded full of Yankees, just one out, and Giancarlo Stanton up with New York carrying a 4-0 lead -- it was as much of a moment as a game on July 26 can offer.
“Well, things weren’t looking great," remembered Kiké Hernandez. "When AC went up to the mound and he took Yacksel (Rios) out of the game and he brought in JT, he said to us, 'If JT gets out of this inning, we’re winning this game.' And next inning, the hitting still went the same but you trust what AC says. A lot of times he sees things before they happen and you just go with it. if he says we’re going to win this game, it’s probably going to happen. They scored one more but we said it many times, we’re not out of a game until a game is over and we proved that today.”
Sure enough, Stanton struck out and Rougned Odor flew out, paving the way for the Red Sox' 32nd comeback of the season thanks to five out-of-nowhere runs in the eighth inning.
"If he says we're going to win this game, it's probably going to happen."
Welcome to the power Cora is possessing. Make no mistake about, it is the kind of cachet that has been earned.
Here is what you should know about Alex Cora: He is managing his hindquarters off.
This is a guy who guided the 2018 Red Sox to 118 wins and a world championship. And, two years later, he has been actually better.
Yes, he has expertly bobbed and weaved his way through games, going on the kind of in-game roll we witnessed throughout the 2018 postseason. Lineup alterations. Bullpen usage. Starting pitcher's innings. You name it. Cora has found the kind of rhythm big league managers usually dream of.
But that is only part of what has separated Cora this time around.
It's simply rare that a Major League Baseball manager can make the kind of difference this version of the former utility infielder has delivered. Of all the sports, it is universally agreed that baseball skippers don't have the same consistent in-game impact as their football, basketball and hockey brethren.
The real value is managing outside those nine innings. Hence, the term "manager" and not "head coach."
The priority is finding a way to make the players you have the best versions of themselves. That comes with communication. That comes with not running away from them after downturns. That comes with instilling the kind of belief that Hernandez relayed after Sunday's game.
Things can turn. We saw that in 2019. For whatever reason, the magic offered up during the title run dissipated in that next season. But what we do know is that much like Terry Francona in 2004, John Farrell in 2013 and Cora in 2018, this is the right guy at the right time.
The personalities. The skill-sets. The willingness to stare down adversity and run away from the cliff. It has been the Perfect Storm to this point.
And now?
There will be more storms to be weathered, with miscues and mistakes sprinkled in along the way. And when those Manager of the Year conversations start percolating, the 2017 Houston Astros cheating scandal will certainly be reintroduced.
Still, as we sit here, the person who has established himself as the most valuable person for the region's most intriguing team is undeniably the manager of the Boston Red Sox.
It's a title not usually given out to someone not performing between the white lines. But if we have learned nothing this season, this season Alex Cora is turning in isn't the norm.