Alex Cora thinks he knows what makes a big difference between the Boston Red Sox and many other teams in baseball when it comes to success at the plate.
Cora said before the World Series began and again after the team’s Game 2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers that the team’s approach is different from many others. He specifically cited how some teams don’t mind low batting averages and strikeouts from their players so long as they’re putting the ball in the air and knocking it out of the park. Conversely, Cora encourages his offense to try and put the ball in play where things can happen.
“Putting the ball in play in those situations is very important,” Cora said after the team’s 4-2 win. “I said it a few days ago and I’ll say it again. We live in an era that .210 with 30 home runs and 70 RBI is acceptable, is a good season. We don’t believe that. They’re certain situations where a strikeout is not just an out. We put the ball in play and they did again tonight, and that’s why we won the game.”
The Red Sox’s approach of trying to put the ball in play could help explain why they’ve been so successful at scoring runs with two outs in the postseason.
Even though some think the comments could be interpreted as a shot at the Dodgers for having a lineup full of .250 hitters who hit home runs and strike out, the teams struck out the exact same amount of times in each World Series game: 12 in Game 1 and 8 in Game 2.
