Because 16-1, and then a four-game ALDS win, and then a World Series title wasn’t enough of a message, Alex Cora sent another to any Boston doubters.
The Red Sox manager, at Wednesday’s victory parade three days after they overwhelmed the Dodgers, pointed to the playoff turning point: the Yankees’ lowest moment of the season.
“The sky was falling and we lost Game 2 and there was panic in here,” Cora said in Boston. “Everybody was like, ‘Whoa. It’s over.’
“We score 16 at Yankee Stadium. Suck on it.”
After Game 2 of the ALDS, the Yankees and Red Sox were knotted at a game apiece, Aaron Judge was playing “New York, New York” at Fenway Park and the series felt in the Yankees’ control.
And then Game 3 happened, a shocking onslaught that the Yankees did not recover from. The Red Sox would lose just two games the rest of their playoff run.
“It was an amazing run, it was an amazing year, and you guys made it that special,” Cora said to the crowd.