Marcelo Mayer flashes leather as Alex Cora enjoys win from both dugouts
According to The Boston Globe, Alex Cora walked into his media session Tuesday morning grinning.
“I know I’m winning,” he said.
Technically, he was right.
In a pre-World Baseball Classic exhibition at JetBlue Park, Puerto Rico topped the Red Sox 5-3 before a heavily pro–Puerto Rico crowd at Fenway South.
For Cora - proud Puerto Rican and Red Sox manager - it was the rare afternoon where the result didn’t exactly sting.
He referred to Puerto Rico as “we” more than once before first pitch when talking with the media. By the final out, “we” had the scoreboard advantage.
For the Red Sox, now 6-4 in Grapefruit League play, the afternoon was less about the final score and more about the details - some encouraging, some uneven.
Left-hander Jake Bennett had a tough outing, retiring just two of the eight batters he faced across parts of two innings. It wasn’t crisp, and in a spring where pitching depth is under the microscope, those innings matter.
But if there was a theme for Boston, it was defense.
Mar 3, 2026; Lee County, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora (13) greets Puerto Rico manager Yadier Molina (4) as they go over rosters with the umpires before the game. (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.
There 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. The dugouts were animated. And the manager got to celebrate regardless.
The Red Sox return to more traditional spring business Wednesday afternoon at JetBlue Park, where Garrett Crochet, Justin Slaten and Payton Tolle are scheduled to pitch against the Yankees in a nationally televised matchup on ESPN.
For Cora, Tuesday was simple.
No matter what, he was winning.
Mar 3, 2026; Lee County, FL, USA; Puerto Rico manager Yadier Molina (4) hugs Boston Red Sox shortstop Andruw Monasterio (32) before an exhibition game at jetBlue Park. (Jim Rassol/Imagn Images)JOIN THE CONVERSATION:
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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.