Red Sox Manager Alex Cora Records Milestone Victory

The Boston Red Sox’s 7-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks was the 600th win of Alex Cora’s career. He had to work for it, using three pinch hitters and sacrificing the designated hitter spot to secure the victory.

He pulled the right strings late in the game. With two runners on and two outs, Cora called on Nick Sogard to hit for Connor Wong. Sogard laced a line drive into left field that rolled past a diving outfielder, scoring two runs and giving the Red Sox the lead.

Masataka Yoshida was scheduled to hit next, but Cora inserted Carlos Narvaez in his place. Narvaez hit a single to right field, scoring Sogard and adding to the Red Sox’s lead.

Aroldis Chapman entered the game in the ninth and struck out four hitters to secure the victory. It was Cora’s 600th career victory as a manager. He is now 600-515 in seven seasons as a manager.

“Like I always said, it takes a lot of people to win games at this level,” Cora said. “Since that first swing Mookie [Betts] in Tropicana Field all the way to the last pitch from [Aroldis Chapman], it takes a lot of effort. Not only from the people in the clubhouse, but the trainers and the front office, and more importantly, my family.”

Cora ranks third all-time in wins as Red Sox manager, behind Terry Francona and Joe Cronin. Francona has 744 wins. If Cora continues to manage until his contract expires, he should move into second place all-time.

The Red Sox travel to Sacramento to play a three-game series with the Athletics before returning to Fenway Park.