One unexpected bright spot in an ugly week for the Red Sox

Apr 27, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Boston Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu (52) reacts after hitting an RBI double against the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images Alex Cora’s termination ended the short-lived tenure of the painfully awful hit celebration that the Red Sox began the 2026 season with. No matter what else comes out of the managerial and coaching changes, I’m truly appreciative of the ripple effect they had on this weirdly weak and unoriginal celebration.

As I wrote earlier, the team had put me in the thoroughly uncomfortable position of rooting for a prolonged losing streak, simply in order for it to go away. One prolonged losing streak, six terminations, and one reassignment later, here we are. On hearing the Cora news last week, one of my immediate thoughts was the fate of the hit celebration.

Earlier in the day, during the 17-1 blowout against the Orioles, the pelvic thrust was still very much alive. The 2026 broadcast had started cutting away from Sox players once they reached base, but Andruw Monasterio and Connor Wong, at least, were observed celebrating hits with pelvic thrusts. It was the only part of the Sox performance that could be called a “Dud” in the game recap .

Not all players were using it by this point, though. Caleb Durbin had pivoted to tapping his helmet then doing a sort of standing abdominal crunch, while Isiah Kiner-Falefa pounded a fist several times on his helmet. Guys, thank you.