Alex Cora Defends David Price: ‘If That’s Soft, Give Me Five Soft Guys’
When asked about the line drive that hit his chest in Monday’s outing against the Blue Jays, Red Sox starter David Price wasted no time calling himself ‘soft.’ The comments, the most passive-aggressively biting Price has been this season, were Price’s undeniable shot back at the local media and fans quick to criticize him for every single one of his shortcomings.
In those comments, Price made sure to bring up the fact that he ‘can’t pitch’ if it’s too cold.
It was him essentially telling people that no, contrary what you may hear or read, he’s not soft.
Something Red Sox manager Alex Cora agreed with and touched upon on Tuesday when asked about Price’s comments.
“He took a line drive yesterday off the chest or whatever, and he kept pitching,” Cora said of Price. “He shows up every five days and he competes. Since day one, I saw the bullpens and what he does to prepare every day and if that’s soft, give me five soft guys every day. Because he can pitch.”
Cora then went on to detail how much work Price puts into his craft, especially against the top competition the sport offers.
“People don’t understand what goes into the process to compete at this level,” Cora began.
“It’s not that easy. Not only physically, but to prepare for a game, look at scouting reports and compete against the best of the best. This is MLB. It’s not like, my brother… he always told me, ‘There’s a reason there’s A-ball, Double-A, Triple-A. It’s not Four-A. It’s MLB. It’s a lot different because it’s the best of the best.’ And to compete at this level, it takes a lot.
“[Price] does that in a daily basis.”
The first-year Boston manager actually said that he found Price’s comments funny, saying that he himself is a sarcastic guy, too. He also made it a point to say that it’s not something he thinks makes an impact on the rest of the club’s roster.
“We don’t let the circumstances around the team dictate who we are. It hasn’t happened. I read, I listen, I know what’s going on. But one thing I like them to be is genuine, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” admitted Cora. “Throughout the years that I remember, there’s been a lot of genuine players in this organization. I still remember October 18, 2007, when Manny [Ramirez] said, ‘If we lose tomorrow, it’s not the end of the world.’ It was a big deal. But he meant it. It was the truth.”
(Note: Ramirez said that when the Red Sox were down three games to one in their 2007 ALCS series against the Indians. A series that the Red Sox ultimately came back from to take the series in seven games and then win the World Series in four.)
“There’s nothing wrong with being honest,” Cora said. “That’s something we talk about: Be genuine, responsible, and honest, and transparent. I’m good with it.”
Cora also said that he has no problem with Price using ‘outside noise’ as a motivational tool.
“There’s a lot of guys in the big leagues that do that,” Cora said. “I saw a big guy yesterday in New York that tipped his hat when he got booed. I played with one here — Curt Schilling. He loved it. If that’s what gets him going, so be it. One thing’s for sure: He’s healthy and he’s throwing the ball well, and he’ll be in Houston on Saturday competing.
“And we love the way he competes.”
