ATLANTA -- Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who's not usually superstitious, took a page out of his brother Joey's book, shaving ahead of the trip to Atlanta. Maybe it was superstition or just a clean slate for Boston, but there was no 5 o'clock shadow when the team constructed a six-run second inning in a 9-4 win over the Braves on Tuesday night at Truist Park.\n\nThe last time the Red Sox put up more than five runs was on April 27 in a 7-1 win over the Blue Jays. Boston walked into the defending World Series champion's house with new life, even if it didn't know it yet. \n\nCora might not follow all the unwritten rules that come with the national pastime, but he watched his brother abide by them his entire life. \n\n“My brother, I’m going to throw him under the bus, but he was to the extreme,” Cora said. “So I learned a little bit from him. But I was very routine-oriented. I played with some guys that were worse. Raúl Mondesi, for example. You know how they throw the cups in the dugout? He wanted no part of that. He will make sure he picks it up. And it’s not because he wanted the dugout to be clean. … He did it all the time. In this sport, everything goes. I think that’s the beauty of 162.”
Even if he had to go against his intuition, Cora knew his team was struggling and needed a change.\n\nSome of the players noticed Cora's shaven face, while others didn't. But the noticeable change was in their play, and although it may be just for one game, the adjustment worked.\n\n\"There are a lot of people that will walk by my office -- I’ve got two doors -- they’ll walk by, ‘What’s up, AC?’\" Cora said. \"And some of them just kept going, so they didn’t pay attention. And others will be like, ‘What’s up, AC?’ and then in a second it was like, ‘Oh, gosh.’ So whatever. It is what it is.\"\n\nIn the second inning, five consecutive batters reached safely on three hits and two walks, before
\n\nSlamtastic. pic.twitter.com/T8VKVhsBvB
— Red Sox (@RedSox) May 11, 2022
\"It was great; we've been grinding a little bit offensively, and to put up nine \\[runs\\] like that, it's a pretty good sign for us,\" Story said. \"A lot of good hits, a lot of great at-bats, something we can build on for sure.\"
And if Boston's offensive production wasn't proof enough that Cora's fresh shave was working, the bullpen that had been struggling to close out games was able to hold the Braves to one run after a three-run third. Snellville, Ga., native