The Boston Red Sox drew nearly every ounce of the roster on Tuesday night to claw their way to a 6-5 win in extra innings against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
Alex Cora loves games in which he can play chess with his lineup card. That would be an understatement in Boston's 80th victory of the season. The Red Sox utilized eight pitchers and 14 position players. The only players on the active roster who did not take the field were the four other starting pitchers and relievers Greg Weissert and Josh Winckowski.
For that reason, Cora holds this victory in a surprisingly high tier of his six-year managerial tenure with the Red Sox.
"It was fun," Cora told reporters, per NESN's postgame coverage. "We put ourselves in this position. Obviously, it's not a perfect one. For us, just go out there and try and make it count. The boys did an amazing job fighting all the way to the end. We use everybody. It was one of the most gratifying wins since I've been here."
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The Red Sox manager offered that sentiment even with 17 career postseason wins and a World Series championship at the helm in Boston. That style of gameplay clearly resonates with Boston's manager and the identity this team holds when it plays its brand of baseball.
"The way we did it," Cora added. "Of course, Oct. 28, 2018 is the biggest one. Kind of like grinding and fighting in the dugout. The guys that pitch and the guys that ended up playing that game. Yeah, I'm telling you, man. It was a lot of anxiety and we were very nervous, but we pulled it out."
Most non-playoff teams would lose a game in which it trailed 3-0 in the final week of the season. The gritty, strategic approach on Tuesday night prevented such an outcome for the Red Sox.
"It was a great team win," Brayan Bello told reporters, per NESN's postgame coverage. "The guys never gave up. I was on the bench trying to give them some cheers. The guys in the bullpen also did an outstanding job. I think it was a nice team effort tonight."
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Boston's playoff chances are still microscopic with four games remaining. Nonetheless, there's an attitude to finish strong and give itself a chance.
"It's do or die," Trevor Story told NESN's Jahmai Webster after the win. "We gotta do it. We're not putting too much pressure on ourselves. Everyone's kind of written us off. We're just showing up the next day trying to win. Tomorrow, that's our job."
Here are more notes from Tuesday's Red Sox-Blue Jays game:
-- Vaughn Grissom recorded just the third three-hit game of his MLB career and his first as a member of the Red Sox.
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-- Chase Shugart entered in the 10th inning and recorded his first MLB save.
-- Boston scored all six runs from the seventh inning on. The Red Sox earned their fifth win of the season when trailing after six innings.
-- In the American League wild-card race, the Kansas City Royals beat the Washington Nationals 1-0 to remain 3 1/2 games in front of the Red Sox for the final spot. The Minnesota Twins and the Seattle Mariners also remain in between Kansas City and Boston.
-- With two wins to clinch a series victory in Toronto, the Red Sox return to .500 against the AL East with a 23-23 record in 2024. They also improved to 8-4 against the Blue Jays this season.
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-- Boston has four straight wins for the first time since winning five straight games from June 30 to July 5.
-- The Red Sox and Blue Jays wrap up their three-game series on Wednesday night. First pitch is set for 7:07 p.m. ET. You can catch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
