Two days removed from agreeing to a lucrative extension, Alex Cora proved why he’s worth the second-highest managerial contract in MLB.
His decision to pinch-hit Wilyer Abreu in place of Tyler O’Neill in the eighth inning was one of the reasons why the Red Sox came back to beat the New York Yankees on Friday night.
Down by one run entering the eighth, following Ceddanne Rafaela’s towering home run in the seventh to make it a 7-6 game, Cora opted to give Abreu the opportunity to hit against the Yankees’ Clay Holmes. The decision came after Connor Wong put up a game-saving fight in a 10-pitch at-bat to get on base for the pinch-hitter.