Connor Wong Earning Unsung Hero Status For Surging Red Sox

Nick Pivetta dominated headlines early Tuesday morning, as he put the finishing touches on the Red Sox’s shutout victory over the Athletics with a historic performance out of the bullpen.

The other member of Boston’s primary battery from Monday had a similarly great night, however, despite being worked to the bone leading into the contest.

Connor Wong, who appeared in 23-consecutive contests entering the series in Oakland, has been forced into an every-day catching role since Reese McGuire went down with an injury. He had been perfectly adequate, but truly made his mark in a series-opening win over the Athletics, finishing 3-for-4 from the plate with three RBIs — all while calling Pivetta’s masterpiece.

“He’s huge,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “I think you saw it (Sunday) with (Jorge) Alfaro and Connor, the guys in the bottom of the lineup helping out, that was huge. (Wong) put the ball in play a couple times, ran the bases well and he called a great game behind the plate. I think offensively, when that happens, we become very dangerous because they set the table for the big boys and they cash in.”

“He put the ball in play a couple times, ran the bases well and he called a great game behind the plate.”

Red Sox manager Alex Cora on Connor Wong

Wong’s contributions were amplified Monday due to the rest of Boston’s lineup having a fairly standard night, but what he’s been able to do over a stretch of playing in nearly every game has been what stands out.

“He went through that stretch in Minnesota and Chicago, with the swing-and-misses and all of that, but if you look at the numbers it’s pretty solid,” Cora said of Wong’s season at the plate. “I think he’s up to .245 (batting average), he’s driving in runs and hitting the ball hard. It hasn’t been easy the last 10-15 days, but he’s been able to post (good numbers). … I mean, overall he’s been great for us.”

Cora did say that Wong would receive a rest day Tuesday, with Alfaro set to get his second start since joining Boston.

In perhaps his best night of the season, Wong was reserved and modest in reflecting.

“I was just able to get hits when guys were in scoring position. It was good,” Wong remarked with a smile, as seen on NESN. “I just think it’s the same. I’m sticking to the routine, the process. I’m not really overthinking (playing a lot). I’m just getting ready to play a game everyday.”

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