Much was made entering Thursday of the fact that Game 3 of the Red Sox and Yankees' American League wild-card series would match two rookie pitchers—an acknowledgement, perhaps, that the lights might be a bit bright for one or both of them.
When Boston pitcher Connelly Early proved overwhelmed by the moment Thursday, however, something truly unexpected happened: Red Sox manager Alex Cora did him no favors. As New York put four runs on the board in the fourth inning, Cora flummoxed fans by declining repeatedly to pull—or even talk to—Early until the last possible moment.
Baseball's talking class had a lot to say about Cora's moves—or lack thereof. For instance, they marveled at how late Cora was even to warm up another pitcher (Justin Slaten eventually replaced Early).
Even Yankees writers were left to wonder at Cora's process.
Don't worry—Boston will be ready to go in February.
Cora's leadership throughout the entire series was called into question.
Fortunately, Early's name lends itself easily to puns.
The Virginia product seems certain to learn from this. Will his skipper?
