Ian Kinsler justified Alex Cora’s faith in him for Game 4 of the ALDS on Tuesday.
Cora decided to start Kinsler at second base for Game 4 against the New York Yankees even though the man who started in his place at second, Brock Holt, hit for the cycle in Game 3 on Monday night.
Kinsler flew out to left with two outs and stranded the bases loaded in the first. But he redeemed himself in his second at-bat, smacking an RBI double over Brett Gardner’s head to give the Red Sox a 2-0 lead over the Yankees. He then scored on an RBI single from Eduardo Nunez to make it 3-0.
Would Holt have given the Red Sox a better return had he been batting in the same spot in the lineup? It’s impossible to say, but we do know that Kinsler got the job done with perhaps the biggest hit early in the game.
Kinsler entered the game with a career .289 batting average and .791 OPS in 45 at-bats against CC Sabathia, which played a role in Cora’s decision to start him. Kinsler delivered.
