BOSTON — It doesn’t seem to matter who Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora puts behind the plate this season.
Both Connor Wong and Reese McGuire have found ways to make an impact.
It was Wong’s time to shine Wednesday night in Boston’s 2-0 win over the Cleveland Guardians at Fenway Park. While Wong played his part in Tanner Houck’s complete-game shutout, he also was a key offensive contributor.
Wong had two of Boston’s five hits as he belted a home run for a second straight game. He also laced a single to right to finish 2-for-3 as he has a hit in nine of the 11 games he has played in this season.
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Cora certainly is pleased to see Wong’s growth in the batter’s box.
“He’s hitting the ball hard,” Cora said. “The line drive to right field, that was a good at-bat. Sac fly yesterday, that was a great at-bat. He’s swinging more, but he’s swinging at pitches in the zone. He made some adjustments. It’s been fun to watch him develop.”
Wong batted just .235 last season with nine home runs and 36 RBIs. He’s well on pace to surpass those figures this season as he’s batting a robust .382 with three homers and eight RBIs.
“Just simplicity at the plate,” Wong said. “Not thinking too much about anything. Trying to take what they give me.”
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McGuire’s production isn’t far off from Wong. McGuire is hitting .270 with two home runs and eight RBIs to give the Red Sox a catching tandem they can rely on.
Cora credited the strong starts from Wong and McGuire to the work they did in the offseason.
“Both of them showed up in November in Fort Myers, worked with (hitting coach) Pete (Fatse) and the group,” Cora said. “They were very specific of what they wanted to do and it’s paying off right now.”
While Wong and McGuire have produce offensively, it can’t be overlooked that their biggest strength comes in the handling of the pitching staff. They are part of the reason why Red Sox starting pitchers have the best ERA in the big leagues at 1.85.
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“I think our relationship with Reese and Wong is fantastic,” Houck said. “I think it’s a combination of having great conversations with them, having great conversations with (game planning coordinator Jason Varitek) and (pitching coach Andrew) Bailey. We’re one unit and we all work together as one unit. They’re just phenomenal to work with back there.”
