This seems to be Kyle Hudson’s lane, but rarely does he obey the coach’s box.
Hudson can’t stay still as Red Sox third base coach. Sometimes he’s up the line as he waves a base runner in on the turn, and then Hudson might run down the line, replicating a sprinter in Lane 3 of a 100-meter dash. He will crouch into a squat almost as if he’s playing the hot corner directly to his left. In his first year at the coaching position, Hudson is making his mark.
“I like to compete,” Hudson said recently. “That’s the thing I loved to do throughout my life is compete. I feel like I’m getting fulfillment out of making the right decisions over there, trying to challenge the outfielders. … Trying to challenge our guys to take better leads, move up 90 feet, and be aggressive.”
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For a former player who received just a cup of brew in the big leagues, this new gig is scratching his competitive itch and paying off for the Red Sox.
In the fourth inning of the Sox’ series finale against the Phillies last week, a glimpse of Hudson’s shrewd, instinctual, and aggressive nature came to the Fenway Park surface near Hudson’s domain. There were two outs and the Sox led, 4-3, with David Hamilton at the plate. Jarren Duran was the runner at first base and Dom Smith was on second. Hamilton sliced a line-drive single to left field. Smith, by no means is a burner and, in fact, he lumbers around the bases. Philadelphia’s David Dahl made one crucial mistake while playing the ball and Hudson, with his eyes on the left fielder the entire time, noticed the mishap immediately.
Dahl caught the ball on one hop. Yet instead of charging, perhaps in fear of getting handcuffed, Dahl, flat-footed, decided to drop back with his left foot so he could get a better hop. Before Dahl took his first step back, Hudson was already waving Smith home. The throw was well off-target and Smith scored easily, affording his club a two-run lead on its way to a 9-3 win and a series victory.
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”I always tell my base runners to stay with me,” Hudson said. “Because there might be a situation where they don’t think it’s a send and I send them. And so, for me, I want them to understand that I’m aggressive. Because I’ve always felt that a third base coach’s mentality, the base runners take on that mentality. I feel like if I’m that way, they’re that way.”
The aggression is always calculated and comes through preparation. Hudson was the first base coach for the Sox last year and helped unlock Duran’s ability to swipe a bag by picking up on pitchers’ varying nuances. In, or near, the third base coaches box, Hudson takes a similar approach, but there’s even more on his plate now as he studies outfielders and their tendencies, too.
“This is a much better group, athletic wise,” manager Alex Cora said. “So it’s going to give him kind of like a green light to push the envelope and be aggressive. Their [secondary leads] are good. They’re fast.”
Fast was on display when the Red Sox and Hudson picked up a detail that allowed them to steal nine bases in Sunday night’s win over the Yankees at Fenway.
It’s aggressive, it’s instinctual, and prepared all in one.
“You better be ready to go,” Hudson said. “And these guys have done a good job with that.”
On to the Queen City for three
The Red Sox will open up a three-game set against the Reds in Cincinnati Friday night. Kutter Crawford takes the mound against the Reds’ Andrew Abbott in the series opener. On Saturday, Nick Pivetta will start opposite Frankie Montas, and in the series finale, the starting matchup is TBD on both sides. The Sox wanted to give Tanner Houck an extra day of rest so they pushed him back to Monday night’s series opener against the Blue Jays at Fenway … Since he was recalled May 29 from Triple A Worcester, infielder Enmanuel Valdez is hitting .333/.423/.733 with a 1.156 OPS and four home runs … Ceddanne Rafaela is up to .251 after a hot June where the center fielder has hit .377/.406/.475 with a .888 OPS and a homer … The Reds (35-39) are in last place in the NL Central. Cincinnati is 18-19 at home, and 4-6 in the last 10 games. Meanwhile, the Sox (40-35) have won five straight games and are 8-2 in the last 10 … Outfielder Wilyer Abreu (ankle) continued a rehab stint with Worcester and went 1 for 3 (single) as the designated hitter in a 7-6 loss to visiting Columbus.
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Julian McWilliams can be reached at julian.mcwilliams@globe.com. Follow him @byJulianMack.