The Red Sox are back in the playoffs.
Cedanne Rafaela's clutch walk-off triple to bring in Romy González gave Boston a 4-3 win over the Tigers and clinched the Red Sox' first postseason appearance since 2021 in dramatic fashion. The party started immediately on the field to celebrate Rafaela's big moment that returned the storied franchise to October as they officially claimed one of the AL's wild-card spots.
Champagne bottles and goggles awaited the group in the locker room to continue the well-deserved celebration. Before the champagne showers began, though, Red Sox manager Alex Cora made sure to give an absolutely electric message to exclaim that his team was only getting started.
"You could feel the energy in that game," Cora said during his postgame speech to his team. "I want to thank you for the effort, I want to thank you for everything that you guys have done. But, you guys know, we didn't come here to play only 162. We came here to win the World Series."
"We didn't come here to play 162, we came here to win the World Series"
— MLB (@MLB) September 27, 2025
Alex Cora gets the party started in the Red Sox clubhouse! #CLINCHED pic.twitter.com/WBVUoGVuof
What a perfect message to start the absolute chaos that ensued.
Cora's squad is currently set for a wild-card series with the AL's first wild card, which will be whoever falls short of the AL East crown between the Yankees and the Blue Jays. Boston has won five of their past seven games and seems to be hitting their stride at the right time as they march toward October.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Alex Cora's Electric Message Started Pandemonium in Red Sox Locker Room.
