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Cora's 6 decisions that helped seal ALDS for Red Sox

Elsa / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The prowess of the 108-win Boston Red Sox is well-established. However, after Game 2 of their American League Division Series matchup against the New York Yankees, Boston's chances of making it to the next round didn't seem especially promising.

Momentum shifted, as the Red Sox could muster just five hits in the 6-2 loss, and were headed to the Bronx for the next two games and the series level at 1-1. It was a defeat that made Boston's Game 1 victory look even less resounding, as the club barely held off a sustained rally from New York courtesy of its shaky bullpen.

Heading to Game 3, though, manager Alex Cora made a series of changes to his lineup. Changes so infallible, team owner John Henry told WEEI, "You cannot second guess our manager because he has just done everything perfectly this year." Here is the catalog of moves he made, and how those players performed.

Brock Holt

4-for-6, HR in Game 3

Not even Cora foresaw Holt coming off the bench to become the first player in history to hit for the cycle in the postseason. However, the Red Sox skipper can certainly take credit for adding the necessary jolt to the lineup.

Holt replaced Ian Kinsler, who had gone 2-for-8 with one double through the first two games, but also struck out five times. In Kinsler's place, Holt collected five RBIs to enter the history books.

Nathan Eovaldi

7 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 5 K in Game 3

Rick Porcello was originally tabbed to go in Game 3, but Cora opted to give his starter some extra rest after he pitched in relief during Game 1, and instead handed the ball to Eovaldi.

In the first postseason game of his career, Eovaldi was masterful. The 28-year-old right-hander went seven strong innings, allowing one run on five hits while striking out five, providing Boston with its best start of the playoffs thus far.

Christian Vazquez

3-for-9, HR over Game 3 and 4

After Sandy Leon started behind the dish for the first two games of the series and went 0-for-5, Vazquez played the next two.

The Game 3 shake-up made sense, and Vazquez wound up going 2-for-6 in the rout with one RBI. However, it was Game 4 that was really surprising, given the fact that Porcello had never worked a game this season with Vazquez behind the plate. Not only did Porcello and Vazquez team up to silence the Yankees' bats through five innings, but the catcher hit a key solo home run off of Zach Britton in the fourth inning.

Rafael Devers

2-for-6, RBI in Game 3

Originally held out of the first two games due to his defense, the Red Sox started the 21-year-old Devers in Game 3 over Eduardo Nunez, who was 0-for-7 with two strikeouts.

The young third baseman was solid at the hot corner and also came through offensively with two hits and a key RBI in the third inning off of Luis Severino to make it 2-0 early.

Chris Sale

1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K in Game 4

One of the odder moves from Game 4 was when Cora called upon his ace for the eighth inning, summoning Sale from the bullpen.

The left-hander retired the side with ease, though, as the Red Sox skipper established a new way to avoid using less effective relievers; the ones who made Game 1 much closer than it probably should have been.

Ian Kinsler

1-for-4, 2B in Game 4

With a lefty on the mound for the Yankees in Game 4, Cora made the controversial move to put Holt back on the bench so Kinsler could face CC Sabathia. And, again, it paid off.

Kinsler squared up pitches in his first two at-bats, with one winding up a loud flyout that came a few feet shy of a grand slam, and the other being a key RBI double in the third inning.

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