Boston Red Sox Fall to Puerto Rico 5-3 in Pre-World Baseball Classic Exhibition

Key Highlights

• (Jim Rassol/Imagn Images)Marcelo Mayer flashed twice in the same inning at second base, recording two slick glove-flip outs that drew audible reactions from the crowd. The footwork was clean.
• The instincts were quick. For a player still carving out his defensive home at the big-league level, it was a reminder of how natural the game looks on his best days. Elsewhere on the infield, newcomer Isiah Kiner-Falefa turned in one of the sharper plays of the afternoon. Fielding a grounder at first, he stepped on the bag and fired home to complete a tag play and double play.
• It was fundamentally sound and aggressively executed - the kind of play that stands out in March when roles are still being sorted. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThere was also an ironic twist on the mound. Red Sox reliever Jovani Moran, suiting up for Puerto Rico, spun a scoreless inning against his organization. Cora, of course, wasn’t surprised by Puerto Rico’s execution.“We always play that tournament well.
• We do,” he told the media pregame. He praised the team’s preparation, its defense, and the catching lineage that stretches from Ivan “Pudge” Rodríguez to former Red Sox Christian Vazquez and Martin Maldonado. Even short-handed, his confidence didn’t waver. Spring exhibitions like this exist in a strange space - competitive but not consequential.
• The crowd buzzed.