With two outs and the score tied 3-3 in the seventh inning of Wednesday’s Game 2, Masataka Yoshida managed an infield single, loading the bases and giving Trevor Story a chance to break the game open.
Some felt that if Nate Eaton had been sent home on the play, the Red Sox might have taken the lead immediately. After the game, much of the analysis suggested that Eaton, known for his speed, could have scored easily.
However, Red Sox manager Alex Cora emphasized Thursday that while it might look obvious in hindsight, making that split-second decision in real time is far more complicated.
“It’s the hardest job in baseball, besides this of course, but I’ve never been in that third base coaching box. Never,” Cora said. “So for people just to say this and that, it’s hard. It’s very hard.”
Cora explained that third base coach Kyle Hudson faced multiple challenges on the play. Yoshida dove into first base, which could have blocked Hudson’s view, and the ball had gotten away from first baseman Ben Rice, making it harder to judge whether to send Eaton.
“It’s far, you’ve got Masa diving, you’ve got Rice looking for the ball,” Cora said. “So it’s not that easy.”
Afterward, Story flew out to the warning track, leaving the bases loaded. The Red Sox eventually fell 4-3, as the Yankees rallied against Garrett Whitlock in the bottom of the eighth.
