‘Everybody has a role’: What Alex Cora hopes his team can learn from Dave Roberts’s stolen base in 2004
"I feel like every night, somebody can step up and somebody can be that guy."
Red Sox manager Alex Cora still remembers the day his former Dodgers teammate Dave Roberts was shipped off to Boston in the middle of the 2004 season.
“We were in San Diego,” recalled Cora, who started his MLB career with the Dodgers in 1998. “At the time, we had the best team in the National League West. [Dave] got called into the office by Jim Tracy. He told him he got traded to the Red Sox. [Dave] was down, upset. It was a good group. We felt that we had something special.”
Cora — who overlapped with Roberts for two and a half seasons in Los Angeles — said he remembers telling his friend, “Hey man, you’re going to a great baseball city. You never know what can happen, so just enjoy the ride.”
Surely, Roberts did. The Red Sox went on to win their first World Series title in 86 years that season. Roberts didn’t play a single game in the team’s four-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals, but the 5-foot-10 outfielder offered one of the most unforgettable contributions to Boston’s championship run.
Facing elimination against the New York Yankees in Game 4 of the ALCS, the Red Sox were down one run in the ninth inning. First baseman Kevin Millar drew a walk against closer Mariano Rivera, and Roberts, who had not played in 10 days, entered the game as a pinch-runner. After Rivera attempted to pick him off three times, Roberts took off and just barely beat catcher Jorge Posada’s throw to steal second.
“He stole that base, and that night, I texted him,” Cora said. “Right after he stole second base, I was like, ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen here, but if this happens, you’re going to become a hero.'”
Hero, he was. The Red Sox went on to rattle off eight straight wins en route to their championship, and, despite never logging a postseason plate appearance that year, Roberts was an indelible part to the team’s success. Cora, having experienced something similar in his own playing career, hopes his team understands the significance of those moments. As he’s emphasized throughout the playoffs this year, it’s going to take all 25 men on the roster to get the job done.
“Blake [Swihart] hasn’t played, and he’s still a huge part of what we’re trying to accomplish,” Cora said. “He can pinch-run, he can pinch-hit, he can come and catch, or play first, or play the outfield. Everybody has a role. It all depends on where the games go, but I feel like every night, somebody can step up and somebody can be that guy.”
“In my case, I only have one World Series at-bat, and it was a sac bunt,” he continued. “[Mike Lowell] then stole third, and he scored on a sac fly. I feel great. I only took one swing in the World Series, and I feel like I was part of the equation.”
Cora said he believes the team has adopted that “all-in” mentality. Given his propensity to tweak the lineup — remember when Brock Holt was benched the day after hitting for the cycle? — Cora said players understand the importance of optimizing each opportunity. Third baseman Rafael Devers, for example, was able to earn his Game 5 start in the ALCS due to “the quality of his [previous] at-bats.” Cora also noted that even players who aren’t on the postseason roster, such as pitchers Bobby Poyner and Brian Johnson, have been taking notes, too.
“Everybody’s on board,” he said. “Everybody knows that when they have their chance, they have a role, and they can contribute. … Regardless if you’re starting or if you don’t even play, you have to pay attention to the game.”
The Red Sox’ first test will come Tuesday when the World Series gets underway at Fenway Park. Cora said he’s looking forward not only to the challenge but also to the opportunity to compete against his old friend.
“To manage against Dave is going to be special,” Cora said. “He really cares, he’s very passionate. Nobody thought that he was going to be the guy a few years ago. Since he’s been there, they have dominated that division. You can see the passion, the emotion. He’ll be great. It’s going to be great.”
