Even for a World Series Champion, watching from the sidelines during postseason baseball is gut-wrenching.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora is a former player with 13 years of playing experience during his career. However, none of those games makes it any easier being the manager of a team in October.
“It seems like I am not engaged from here out, right, for the camera, but [in my heart] and [head], I am very engaged,” said Cora before Thursday’s do-or-die Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series against the Yankees. “I feel it every single game. Every single day. That’s the reason I am doing this. I love it. And, you know, I enjoy when they do well. I suffer when they struggle.
“The goal was for us to make it to October and have a deep run in October and make it to the World Series and win it. So you guys have no idea how it feels in that dugout just watching games like the last two.”
Cora is the leader of a group that entered the season with the expectation of developing young players, but winning in the process. None of the Red Sox previously labeled “super prospects” of Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell or Marcelo Mayer are on the Wild Card roster — Anthony has an oblique injury, Mayer hurt his wrist and Campbell didn’t exactly perform in his rookie season.
However, there are still crucial parts of the Red Sox future on this roster. Ceddane Rafaela and Jarren Duran being among them. Rafaela had a solid third season as he slashed .249/.295/.414 with 16 homers and 63 RBI while playing some of the league’s best defense in center field. Duran posted a 6.8 fWAR season in 2024 and while he regressed in 2025, he still managed a .774 OPS.
The youngsters both had moments of struggle in Wednesday’s loss to the Yankees. Rafaela failed to get a sacrifice bunt down in the seventh inning to advance runners to second and third with one out and set the Red Sox up to take the lead and Duran dropped a line drive to left field off the bat of Aaron Judge, allowing a run to score.
Cora felt like it was he who made the blunders.
“Yesterday, you know, [Duran] didn’t make that play in left field. For me, I was like — inside I was with the kid,” said Cora. “Ceddanne doesn’t get the bunt down. I was right there with him. Because I still remember [as a player] a game against Houston in the regular season at Dodger Stadium in the ninth inning. I was asked to bunt, and I popped it up to first base, and I felt like s–t.
“It is hard to describe the feelings in that dugout, to be honest with you. I would love you guys to do that, yeah, to have the opportunity to do that, because it is a unique experience.”
As die-hard fans across baseball sit across from the TV, sweating out every pitch, it is a similar experience to what the manager is dealing with. At the end of the day, they can make as many decisions to dictate the game as they please, however, the baseball has to be played on the field and they have little control over which way the ball bounces.
“I would love you guys to have that feeling at least once, because it’s different,” said Cora. “It’s different. It is different than as a player. As a player I had control of, you know, making a play, not making a play, putting a ball in play. I had control of that.
“As a manager all we can do is make decisions based on the information and what this game dictates. Then you want your players to do it, to be successful, and do it right and to win games.”
