The NBA schedules morning shootarounds, while the NHL holds morning skates on most game days. Then the players show up for a short workout before the game that night.
“Today was a weird day,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said, “We hit, we got here later, avoiding the turf. Obviously there’s other sports that do it but they don’t play on a daily basis, right?
Cora said the team has been discussing the idea for several years and decided to give it a try because a suitable offsite facility was close to the hotel.
“Today we changed the schedule to see something that we might start next year,” Cora said. “Trying a few things off the field. Trying stuff to see if it’s good for the body and all that.”
The hitters went through a regular routine.
“Kind of like a relaxing off the field stuff,” Cora said. “Working on mechanics, it’s not rushed.”
And there was another benefit.
“I was able to take a nap before I got here,” Cora said. “We weren’t here at 1, we got here at 3:45. So, t’s time management, keeping them off their feet, especially on this surface. It’s something we’ve been thinking about for a while and we just decided to do it here and see how it goes.”
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