BOSTON -- Alex Cora got his second chance to become the manager of the Red Sox back in November. However, the full magnitude of everything it means to him really started to sink in on Thursday, on what was supposed to be Opening Day, and then again on Friday, when his team actually played for the first time.

“Very exciting,” Cora said a few hours before the Red Sox played their postponed opener against the Orioles. “I’m blessed to be honest with you. Just to get a chance to be back at this level and doing the things that I love, sometimes I feel like I’m lucky.”

• Box score: Orioles 3, Red Sox 0

Cora has been fully accountable for his actions as the Astros’ bench coach in 2017 that led to his 10-month departure from the Red Sox and the one-season suspension he received from Major League Baseball.

Though he doesn’t call this his redemption tour -- in fact, he’s gone out of his way not to -- that is what it essentially is.

“Like I said before, some people might agree with it, some others don’t, just give me a chance,” said Cora. “It’s something where I’m not proud of [what I did] but at the same time I’ve got a job to do and I’m very happy to be here, very excited.”

Including his time as a player, this was Cora’s sixth Fenway opener.

“I love this city. I love it,” said Cora. “It’s not my frickin’ city, like David [Ortiz] said, but there’s something about Boston. There’s something about Fenway. There’s something about being around these people that moves me. It gets me going. We love it here. We love everything that comes with the Red Sox -- the ups, the downs, the obstacles.”

In a way, Cora found it fitting that his team wound up being off on Thursday, and there were visual reminders everywhere of the recent past. Mookie Betts was on television playing for the Dodgers. Andrew Benintendi made his debut for the Royals. Mitch Moreland was in the lineup for the Athletics. And so on.

“It’s time to turn the page,” Cora said. “I don’t know if it was meant to be that we didn’t play yesterday. We were able to watch a lot of people play around us, the kids who were here a few years ago and helped us win a World Series. But it was a reminder they’re not here anymore and for us to get to where we want to go we have to turn the page and we have to play better and we have to do it with the group that we have and the group that will be here in the future.”

Xander: ‘A dream come true’
The ever-reliable Xander Bogaerts batted fourth for the Red Sox on Friday, marking the eighth straight Opening Day he’s started at shortstop for the only team he’s played for. That tied Everett Scott (1914-21) for the most consecutive Opening Days at the position in team history.

“It’s stuff you dream about as a kid,” said Bogaerts. “I never would imagine I would be in a situation like this, as I said all along. All I wanted to do is just be in the big leagues, get there and try to stay as long as possible and win as much as possible. But definitely as the years go by, the last few years, there's been a lot of stuff that I've gotten to accomplish that is something I’ll definitely remember for a long time.”

The two things Bogaerts missed last season? The camaraderie in the clubhouse (the Red Sox used luxury suites to dress in last year) and fans in the stands. He gets them both back this year.

“The suites were great,” Bogaerts said. “Not to take anything away from that but it just kind of took away some of the togetherness, you know. But just now being in the clubhouse everyone preparing for the game, seeing everyone, you know how the vibe is. In the suite, it was just me and Raffy [Devers].”

And while some players need to block out the crowd to focus, Bogaerts loves the buzz they bring.

“I kind of like to interact with the fans, especially when I'm in the on-deck circle,” said Bogaerts. “That's probably the time that I take out most just to communicate with whoever is right around that area. Hopefully as the year goes on, everything gets much better and we get more fans in the stadium so that'll be much better, but for now I'm definitely anxious and excited to go out there and see how Fenway Park looks with people back in it.”

E-Rod has a different Opening Day
Instead of the original plan -- which was for Eduardo Rodriguez to pitch Opening Day -- he instead spent the day throwing three simulated innings at the alternate site in Worcester, Mass.

A day after being placed on the injured list retroactive to March 29 with left elbow inflammation, Rodriguez geared up for what he hopes will be his return to the Boston rotation as soon as April 8 in Baltimore.

“I think the last bullpen was more about location and hitting his spots,” Cora said. “Now, it’s just like a regular whatever you want to call it, simulated game or 'B' game. He’s going to face good hitters. We’ll see how it goes. He feels good about it. I talked to him yesterday. Just go down there, obviously not too happy he’s not going to pitch Opening Day and he’s not going to be around.

“But knowing if he jumps this hurdle, good things are about to happen. For him to go out there, pitch, use all his arsenal, have some runners on, be able to compete, I think that’s good enough for him. Hopefully, if that happens, he’ll show up tomorrow, we’ll see where he’s at, and he’ll be with us sooner rather than later.”