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.
During Sunday’s game, the first of the Chad Tracy era, Ceddanne Rafaela celebrated both of his hits with a forward lunge. Monasterio, a thruster on Saturday, changed things up by pounding the top of his bare head twice, then striking the Most Muscular bodybuilding pose—and then lunging as well. A true convert!
When Wilyer Abreu singled, he sent a kiss skyward, then did a pelvic thrust…but then seemed to interrupt himself with a laugh, a lunge, and a Most Muscular pose. It read like a self-deprecating acknowledgment of having let muscle memory take over.
Marcelo Mayer singled, then gave one quick side lunge. Since he promoted the original celebration, I thought Red Sox Nation could likely consider pelvic thrusting dead and gone.
By Monday’s game against the Blue Jays, I was positive it was defunct when Mayer celebrated a single with a helmet tap and a side lunge.
Normally, this is when it would be appropriate to say Rest in Peace. I won’t say that, but I’m glad the Red Sox players gave it a rest.
