The Boston Red Sox swept the New York Yankees over the weekend to get above .500. What happened in the hours after winning Sunday's game is what this weekend will be remembered for. But when they did have Rafael Devers, Boston finally had some momentum. Before the trade went down, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that every part of the team lifted them to victory over the weekend.

“I think it starts on the mound,” Cora said, per MLB.com's Molly Burkhardt. “You pitch [well], you’re throwing strikes, the defense is going to be better. … I think at the end, pitching and defense are the pillars of baseball. You do that consistently, you're going to have a chance to win a lot of games.”

The Red Sox allowed just four runs in the three games, shutting out the Yankees in Sunday's win. It was only the third time all season the Bombers had been shut out. Garrett Crochet was two outs away from a complete game shutout in Game 1, but Aaron Judge smoked a homer to force extras. In his other at-bats, Judge struck out nine times and had no extra-base hits.

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Their offense was relatively quiet throughout the series, but with great pitching and defense, they did not need much. The Red Sox have taken advantage of the Yankees' poor defense over the past two seasons, laying the foundation for the Dodgers' World Series win. So, fans know that Cora preaches and cares about strong defense.

Since Cora gave that quote after the Red Sox' win, their entire organization has changed. They traded the face of their franchise to the Giants for two pitchers and two minor leaguers. If they continue to pitch and defend well, maybe the Devers loss will feel less significant. But fans can't be thrilled after another homegrown star heads west.