FORT MYERS – Last time the Red Sox saw Eduardo Nunez in an actual game was also the last time Alex Cora saw him in actual game. It was the division series opener, and Nunez saw one pitch before aggravating his tender right knee.
Cora’s Astros never had to face him again.
“It was a different dynamic,” Cora said. “He brought energy. He was dangerous at the plate, and the baserunning part of it, he was a factor. We had to prepare for two different teams, in a sense, one with Eduardo and one without him.”
Off the Astros bench and into the Red Sox manager’s office, Cora has Nunez now slotted as his Opening Day second baseman.