HOUSTON — Astros third baseman Alex Bregman is intertwined with the Red Sox in more ways than you’d expect for a 24-year-old who’s in just his second full season and carries no direct connection to the franchise, other than going unsigned as a late Sox draft pick in 2012.
For one, Bregman is best friends with Red Sox utility man Blake Swihart, who swung by Bregman’s Houston home during this four-game series. Bregman is also very close with Alex Cora -- a manager who, until recently, barely played Swihart.
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Bregman was picked five spots ahead of Andrew Benintendi in the 2015 draft, and there was a chance they both could've been drafted by the Astros.
Plus, Bregman already has a famous moment in a budding rivalry between the two teams. Bregman took away the final Red Sox lead of the 2017 postseason with an eighth-inning home run off Chris Sale in Game 4 of the ALDS.
When Houston went ahead later in the inning on a Josh Reddick single, Bregman was freaking out in the dugout, gripping the railing of the dugout and tilting his head back like a madman. The footage was quickly made into a GIF, and Bregman was somewhat surprised when the image went viral.
“A little bit,” Bregman said. “I was just fired up for my teammates. I told [Justin] Verlander that Reddick was going to come through and get a go-ahead hit. I didn’t want anybody else up right now, and went crazy, and it blew up.”
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Sox fans haven’t treated him poorly, though.
“No, not at all. I loved playing in Boston,” Bregman said. “I like Boston fans. They know the game, they live and die with Boston sports, it’s pretty cool. I like the atmosphere up there.”
Cora said this week before the Sox arrived in Houston that he sometimes jokes with Bregman about which player will define the 2015 draft class: Bregman, who went second overall, or Benintendi, who went seventh.
“For sure. He told me that two days ago,” Bregman said on Friday. “He asked me what draft it was. And I said, ‘Well, right now, I got a World Series ring, so it was No. 2’s draft.’”
Bregman’s not afraid to joke around, and he also doesn’t lack confidence. But he said he doesn’t tell Cora he should be playing Swihart more often, even as a matter of ribbing.
“I don’t really get into like that kind of stuff,” Bregman said. “I know that Alex Cora’s job is to win games, Blake Swihart’s job is to be the best player he can be. We’ll mess around, but we’ll mess around about different stuff.”
Bregman is still in touch with Cora often, speaking via FaceTime maybe once a week or so. Cora was Bregman’s bench coach with the Astros in 2017 and they connected right away in spring training.
“It’s a friendship that will never be broken,” Bregman said. "I think it’s because he loves the game of baseball as much as life itself, and so do I. He lives breathes, sleeps — everything he does is for the game. I mean, he’s here early, looking at video, scouting. He’s on the field 24/7 working at improving guys’ games, and he’s always trying to gain an edge. And I think that’s one thing I learned from him last year, was to always look for an edge. Always try and get an edge to give yourself an advantage against your opponent.
“We spent countless hours together and we’re really close.”
Swihart and Bregman grew up together in New Mexico and share an agent. Bregman has a key to Swihart’s house, even.
Quickly, Swihart has fallen into more playing time. Hanley Ramirez’s exit combined with injuries to Mookie Betts and Dustin Pedroia have put the Sox’ bench in the spotlight, a good opportunity for Swihart.
“It’s a tough spot,” Bregman said of Swihart’s early-season struggles. "But there’s only one thing to do, and it’s just, if you don’t like it, play better. He knows that. And it’s the toughest thing to do, to come off the bench and play in any sport. But especially, I feel like especially in baseball, trying to hit a round ball with a round bat, coming off the bench, pinch hitting one out of every four days in a town like Boston that wants everything immediately, wants everything right now.
“If you don’t go 4-for-4 today, you suck. And if you go 4-for-4, you’re the greatest. So, it’s a tough spot that he’s in, but there’s only — he knows...if you want to get out of there, you got to just play.”
Cora has said at points this year that he can understand if Swihart doesn’t want to look at him some days. If Swihart and Cora are not close yet, Bregman said he does not think it would take much for them to really connect.
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“I think they will be if they’re not already. They probably are,” Bregman said. “Alex does a great job of relating to players, not being like a coach that is not reachable. He does a great job of being a person.”