If you needed even more evidence that life is unfair (do you?) look no further than the fact that some people have jobs in which it’s totally acceptable to get wasted with your coworkers and douse them in champagne in the middle of the workplace. The Red Sox HR department has it easy, I tell ya. Here’s a peek inside the Sox clubhouse celebration last night, which was punctuated by Alex Cora reminding the team that they “didn’t come here to play only 162. We came to win the World Series. Let’s fucking
go!” (Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic)
And for Cora, those weren’t just words. He showed exactly how much he wanted to win last night’s game with his aggressive bullpen management, demonstrating some lessons he’s learned from Terry Francona and showing that Playoff Cora is back. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)
But aggressive bullpen management isn’t what most people will remember about last night’s game. That would be Ceddanne Rafaela’s clutch walk-off triple. It’s been an up-and-down season for Ceddanne, but he’s developed a reputation as a clutch performer, saying “I want to be in those moments. I want to be there. I want to be the guy at the plate.” (Sean McAdam, MassLive)
Though they enthusiastically took part in the celebration, it’s hard not to feel bad for the injured Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer, who, like Nuff Cedd, probably would love to be up at the plate in those moments, too. Mayer, at least, is back to participating in baseball activities, after spending some time with Mark Wahlburg and Jayson Tatum. (Tim Healey, Boston Globe)
Craig Breslow can take a well-deserved bow, not only for putting this team together, but for giving Ceddanne a long-term contract when many were still skeptical about his unique package of skills. But Breslow didn’t want the spotlight last night, saying there have been “a lot of contributions up and down the roster. I think the most important thing is to recognize how precious every win is, how precious every chance to get to the postseason is. This is about the players and the staff. It’s been really fun to watch.” (Kayley Brown, Boston.com)
The fans in the stands at Fenway certainly felt like it was fun to watch. Even as the Sox fell in an early hole, the crowd was highly engaged the whole game and the players felt the energy in the dugout and on the field. (Sean McAdam, MassLive)
it certainly would have been disappointing for everyone in attendance if the Sox ended up clinching via scoreboard-watching rather than a W on the field, the but team had no intention of letting other teams to control their destiny. (Steve Buckley, The Athletic)
