Alex Cora put on a tremendous managerial show in Red Sox' extra-innings win in Oakland

BOSTON -- We still can't look too deeply into the start of the season for the Boston Red Sox. While their 4-2 record indicates that they're exceeding expectations, the quality of opponent -- or lack thereof -- cannot be ignored. And the Oakland A's just may be the worst team in Major League Baseball.

Yet despite that fact, Tuesday night's victory did not come easy. And some high-level managing by Alex Cora was instrumental in securing Boston's 11-inning victory in Oakland.

It's not often these days that a manager has to employ a double switch while emptying their bench and bullpen while also managing automatic runners in extras, but Cora did it all on Tuesday night to perfection.

On the mound, after Brayan Bello lasted just five innings, Cora went with Greg Weissert, Isaiah Campbell, Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen for one inning apiece, before needing two innings out of Josh Winckowski. Collectively, the bullpen arms allowed two hits and two walks in their six innings of scoreless work, striking out eight A's batters.

On the other side, Cora's manipulation with the lineup began in the sixth inning, when he pinch-hit Wilyer Abreu for Bobby Dalbec, who had started the game with a lefty on the mound for Oakland. Abreu took the field in right field in the bottom of the sixth, with Pablo Reyes shifting from second base to first base, Jarren Duran sliding from left field to center field, Tyler O'Neill moving from right field to left field, and Ceddanne Rafaela moving from center field to second base.

In the next inning, Cora pinch-hit Masataka Yoshida for Reyes, which forced Cora to give up the DH in the bottom of the seventh. Triston Casas, who started the game as the DH, went in at first base, which then put the pitcher's spot into the lineup in the five-hole.

In the bottom of the eighth, Enmanuel Valdez entered the game to play second base, taking the pitcher's spot in the lineup, while Rafaela went back to center field. The reliever, Martin, entered the game in place of Duran, who had been in the leadoff spot and made the final out in the top of the eighth.

Unfortunately for Cora, the Red Sox' offense went silent, and the game headed to extra innings, thus making the juggling a bit more challenging as the night wore on. 

Jansen had replaced Martin in the leadoff spot in the lineup in the ninth inning, but when Winckowski entered the game in the 10th inning, he took over the ninth spot in the lineup in place of catcher Connor Wong, who had struck out to end the top of the 10th. Cora inserted Reese McGuire into the leadoff spot in the lineup -- which, again, had been occupied by Martin and Jansen.

McGuire made it work, too, as he led off the 11th inning with a nice piece of hitting, sending a base hit into left field to send Abreu, the automatic runner, to third. O'Neill grounded into a double play, but Abreu was able to score the winning run from third. That was an additional wrinkle, too, as Winckowski replaced Wong in the lineup. Wong would have been the automatic runner in the 11th, but as a pitcher, Winckowski did not have to become the runner, thus allowing Abreu (in the No. 8 spot in the lineup) to become the runner in the 11th.

A tremendous defensive play in center field by Rafaela -- whom Cora also brought in as a fifth infielder with runners on the corners and one out in the bottom of the 10th -- helped prevent an A's comeback, and the Red Sox came away with a truly hard-fought 5-4 victory.

For a manager in the modern game, it was about as busy a night as it gets. But Cora was quick to spread the credit.

"The whole coaching staff was part of it, you know, because you're like, we haven't done this in a while, the double switch and all that stuff," Cora told NESN after the game. "It was fun. From [pitching coach Andrew Bailey] reminding us of the base running situation with the pitcher, that we can use the guy ahead of him. And the five-man infield that, you know, I think we learned from the game against Seattle that night thinking about it like, if you have to do it again, I'll bring Rafaela to second. And if they hit a hot ground ball, we turn a double play and we get out of it. And the guys, I mean, Winckowski was outstanding, the bullpen was great, and it was a good W and we won the series and we've got a shot to sweep tomorrow."

Given the mental fatigue that might be associated with a win like Tuesday's, Cora might be hoping for a simpler victory on Wednesday afternoon.