Late in Thursday night’s eventual 4-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays, Red Sox manager Alex Cora opted to let reliever Justin Slaten face star slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with one out, a one-run lead and first base open in the bottom of the eighth inning. Guerrero went on to hit a go-ahead three-run home run, and after the game he expressed surprise that the Red Sox pitched to him in that spot.
The decision to pitch to Guerrero continued generating discussion throughout the day on Friday, and prior to that night’s game Alex Cora addressed the issue further, saying he likely would have walked Guerrero had it been a playoff game, but that early in the season his philosophy is to trust his players.
“I thought about it and probably if it’s in the World Series I would have walked him,” Cora said. “I think the walking part of it, I get it, it’s Vladimir Guerrero. We had him 0-2, and we didn’t execute pitches after that. There’s a two-way street here, and I get it, in the ALCS I’ll walk him, but right now in April and May I’ve got to trust my guy. I’ve got to give Justin the leeway that he can do the job, and he’s been great for us. Yesterday he didn’t execute three pitches.”
Cora went on to say he might take a different approach the next time they face Guerrero in a big spot, but in general he believes his instinct to give his players a chance to compete is the right one.
“It’s all about trust right now, we have a lot of young players on this roster, and where we’re going — well, it might have been decided yesterday, we might lose the Wild Card or the division by one game, and it’s on me. But I think the way I manage right now, especially with this group, you’ve got to be very patient,” Cora said. “I truly believe this is a very talented team, it’s not like last year where it’s pedal to the medal, pinch hit in the fifth, walk this guy and try to will wins out there. No, you trust Justin Slaten in that situation yesterday and it didn’t happen.”
Red Sox second baseman Kristian Campbell has been honored as American League Rookie of the Month for April, MLB announced Friday afternoon.
Campbell earned the honor after a productive first month in which he batted .301 with four home runs, 12 RBI, eight doubles, 19 walks, 18 runs scored, a .407 on-base percentage and .902 OPS in his first 29 career games. Campbell led all qualified rookies in OBP, doubles, walks, runs scored and extra-base hits, and he reached base safely in each of his first 17 career games.
The 22-year-old is the first Red Sox rookie to earn a monthly award since Triston Casas in July of 2023, and overall he’s the 11th Red Sox player to earn AL Rookie of the Month. New York Mets second baseman Luisangel Acuña received the National League’s honor.