Lou Merloni joined BST to talk about Alex Cora being emotional on the field after the Red Sox advance to the ALCS. He mentions the long road Cora faced after the Astros backlash and what this win means to his legacy.
Red Sox owner John Henry thinks there's more in store for the 2021 Red Sox than winning the American League Division Series.
Taking his first questions in more than a year and a half during a brief interview with a small group of reporters following a 6-5 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, Henry was asked if he believes the club could win a World Series this year.
"I do," he said. "Let's find out."
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Henry didn't say much over the course of about three minutes after emerging from the victorious clubhouse and climbing the dugout steps to the infield dirt, but he did admit the Red Sox have exceeded his expectations.
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"We sort of felt all year we were ahead of schedule," he said. "We knew we had some flaws, but these guys kept picking each other up, so wherever we might have had flaws, others made up for it. It's really remarkable."
Henry gave credit for the team's success to two men -- manager Alex Cora and chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom.
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The former rejoined the organization after his yearlong suspension for his part in the Houston Astros cheating scandal, and Henry saluted Cora's steady leadership, especially now that he's back in the postseason.
"He made a huge difference," Henry said. "You see it every night. You guys watch it every night. The decisions he makes, as in 2018, especially in October, his instincts and his intelligence in this game is unmatched."
As for Bloom, Henry hired him to rebuild the organization from the bottom up, and Bloom has taken things a step further by advancing the Red Sox to baseball's final four.
"He did an incredible job," Bloom said. "Look at the guys he brought in. We had a great trading deadline for the future and for the present. He did a hell of a job."
Henry has presided over teams run by Theo Epstein, Dave Dombrowski, and now Bloom. The first two won titles. Maybe Bloom, general manager Brian O'Halloran, and this current front office will soon join them after a trying season.
"We're still building, but just the heart and soul of this club (is in place)," Henry said. "Someone said tonight, the baseball gods are smiling down on us. I think it has a lot to do with the organization, what Chaim and Brian have done, and Alex. The heart of these players, the resilience of this team going through COVID and everything we went through this year."