BOSTON -- A few months ago, when new manager Alex Cora told Mookie Betts he would bat at the top of the order for the Boston Red Sox, the star right fielder wondered only one thing.
“Are you going to hit me third later on?” Betts asked.
Last year, Betts was the Red Sox’s No. 3 hitter on Opening Day. By the second week of May, he got moved up to the leadoff spot, where he spent the majority of the season. But once the playoffs rolled around, he returned to a run-producing role as the cleanup hitter.