caleb durbin began the season 0-for-19 and endured boos from Fenway Park fans before Friday’s game. He hit a ball to center field in the fourth inning on April 3, 2026, driving in Jarren Duran in Boston’s 5-2 win over the San Diego Padres . Alex Cora publicly defended Durbin after the game and said he expects Durbin to be okay .
Alex Cora's Postgame Comments
Alex Cora spoke directly about Durbin after the win and delivered two short assessments that framed the club’s response. "I’m glad he got the hit," Alex Cora said after the game, and added, "I think everyone was able to breathe, including me, but the kid, he played great at third base, put a good swing there after the weird double play in the first (at-bat). So he’s gonna be okay. He’s a good ballplayer. I think people here are going to love him." Those remarks came immediately following the game and reflect Alex Cora's confirmed position that he continues to back the third baseman .
Fenway Park Fan Reaction
Durbin had been booed at Fenway Park after starting the 2026 MLB season 0-for-19; that fan reaction occurred in front of 36,233 fans on Friday . Before his first hit he had been 1-for-22 overall, hitting.045 with an OPS of.132 for Boston; the box-score totals through that game show no extra-base hits and one RBI before Friday’s fourth-inning drive . Durbin addressed the crowd after the game: "That’s Boston, right? You want fans that are poured into it. … It’s honestly a good thing, because you want the fans to be on you. That’s what makes Boston special." Durbin’s comments underscored how he read the boos as part of the city’s pressure and energy .
Pat Murphy, who managed Durbin in Milwaukee, intervened publicly to defend the player and framed Durbin’s struggles as temporary in tone. "You can get down on him if you want. The fans can boo him. You can do whatever you want to do. But Caleb Durban is a winner in every sense of the word," Pat Murphy said, and added, "And anybody who was watching the Milwaukee Brewers … last year [knows] a huge part of our success is that kid. He epitomized our spirit. I don’t worry about that kid. Don’t lose sleep over his lack of numbers so far." Those remarks were reported as Pat Murphy’s assessment and should be read as claimed support from the former Brewers manager.
Durbin arrived in Boston in February via a six-player trade with the Milwaukee Brewers; his rookie season with Milwaukee produced a.256 average, 11 home runs and 53 RBIs, numbers the club and Pat Murphy cited to argue for patience . The Red Sox entered the day 2-5 in the 2026 MLB season and on a five-game losing streak before Friday’s win; Durbin’s RBI in the fourth helped produce the 5-2 final score and offered a tangible change in a season-opening slump .
For Caleb Durbin, whose fourth-inning single drove in Jarren Duran in front of 36,233 fans and helped produce a 5-2 victory, the immediate consequence is visible: his first hit narrowed the case for benching or a rapid roster move, and Alex Cora’s public defense signals that Boston’s manager will keep backing him at third base . Fans who booed earlier now saw the moment that Alex Cora said allows everyone to "breathe," and Durbin returns to the field carrying both the hit and his manager’s endorsement into the next game .
