ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Alex Cora showed some guts in the ninth inning on Sunday.
Last time he pitched, Joe Kelly walked three batters to ruin a shutout and blow the Red Sox’ 4-0 lead during an Opening Day loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.
But with Craig Kimbrel unavailable on Sunday after pitching both Friday and Saturday, Cora told Kelly to be prepared for some high-leverage situations in the final game of the series.
What Kelly didn’t know is that he was going to be called upon in the ninth inning for his first career save.