After a sluggish first week of the season, the Boston Red Sox lineup came alive in their home opener on Friday — and manager Alex Cora wasn’t surprised. He knows what this group is capable of.
“I think we have that type of offense,” Cora said postgame. “We have those three guys — Duran, Devers, Bregman — and any day, we can score quick. And when Casas and Trevor and the rest of them are swinging the bat the way they were, we become very dangerous.”
The Red Sox exploded for 13 runs and 16 hits in a 13-9 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Fenway Park, their third straight victory. Boston scored five in the first inning, highlighted by back-to-back homers from Trevor Story and Wilyer Abreu. Every starter reached base, and eight of nine had at least one hit.
Red Sox lineup is starting to heat up
The outburst was a stark contrast to last weekend in Texas, where the Sox went 4-for-35 with runners in scoring position and managed just six total runs over three games. Even their first win in Baltimore was powered by Garrett Crochet’s shutout performance more than anything from the bats. But now? The offense looks like it’s found its footing.
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“I love the fact that we didn’t stop [scoring],” Cora said. “It was a good offensive performance.”
Rafael Devers, fresh off a rough start to the season, reached base four times and added an RBI single in the seventh. Alex Bregman recorded two hits in his Fenway debut, and Story added four RBIs. Even the bottom of the order chipped in — Kristian Campbell, Carlos Narvaez, and Ceddanne Rafaela combined for three hits, five walks, four RBIs and four runs.
Bregman, who stayed optimistic through the team’s early struggles, said the last few games have shown what this lineup can do.
“It felt great to see the offense pass the torch,” he said. “Over the course of time, the cream always rises to the top. I feel like this lineup can do special things.” It may have taken nearly a week to get there, but the Red Sox finally look like the team they believed they’d be. And Cora’s warning to the rest of the league? This is just the beginning.
