Alex Cora’s prank on Jarren Duran will only increase the Red Sox’s love for the rising star

The Boston Red Sox have struggled with injuries this year, but there is one constant in their lineup. That is outfielder Jarren Duran, who has become a fan favorite in Boston due to his effort, speed and hitting power. Duran has not missed a single Red Sox game this season and is the team’s “Iron Man.”

On Saturday, Duran’s winning streak was almost jeopardized by a joke from Boston manager Alex Cora.

Speaking to reporters before Saturday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds, Cora revealed that he called Duran into his office on Friday to tell him he would have the next day off. Duran’s response was, “Screw it.”

Cora certainly thought it was funny to jokingly tell Duran he had Saturday off. Well, it was a good thing it was a joke and Cora wasn’t seriously considering giving Duran the day off since he played a big role in Boston’s 4-3 win over Cincinnati on Saturday.

Duran scored the winning run in the eighth inning. After reaching base with a single and making it to third base, Rafael Devers hit a sacrifice fly into foul territory in left field. As soon as Stuart Fairchild caught the ball, Duran ran full speed to home plate and was ruled safe after a head-first slide.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Reds had a chance to tie the game. Fairchild sent a 90.9 mph cutter from Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen to deep center field. As the ball flew over the wall, Duran jumped up and was able to grab it for the second out of the inning.

See for yourself.

The Red Sox held on for the 4-3 victory after Elly De La Cruz was airlifted off the field for the final out of the game.

Durran finished the game 2 of 4 batting attempts. Now, Duran has posted a .283 batting average, .348 on-base percentage, .478 slugging percentage, seven home runs, 34 RBIs, 52 runs and 90 hits in 318 at-bats.

So yeah, it’s good that Cora joked about Duran having a bad day because he turned out to be the deciding factor for the Red Sox