Alex Cora and Aaron Boone may be on opposite sides of baseball's most bitter rivalry, but that doesn't mean there isn't a shared respect between them. When the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees linked up for a spring-training game Tuesday,

Red Sox manager Alex Cora defended Yankees skipper Aaron Boone from criticism as both face scrutiny from fans.

But manager Alex Cora picked top offseason acquisition Garrett Crochet to be the 2025 Opening Day starter. Houck, who will start the second game of the season, made the decision easy for Cora. “Talked to Tanner. He was our best starter last year. He was an All-Star,” Cora said Saturday. “He just said, ‘Give me the ball whenever.’”