By Bill Koch
The Providence Journal
BOSTON — Less than 15 months after guiding the Red Sox to their fourth World Series championship this century, Alex Cora is out as Boston’s manager.
The club released a statement late Tuesday night saying “we mutually agreed to part ways.” Cora was in the crosshairs of Major League Baseball regarding two investigations into electronic sign stealing, including during his historic 2018 debut with the Red Sox.
Cora was named 11 times in a nine-page report released Monday by MLB, one that detailed its findings and penalties regarding malfeasance by the Astros in 2017. Houston manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were handed one-year bans by commissioner Rob Manfred before being fired by Astros owner Jim Crane. The Astros were fined $5 million and stripped of their top two draft picks in both 2020 and 2021.
“Given the findings and the commissioner’s ruling, we collectively decided that it would not be possible for Alex to effectively lead the club going forward,” the Red Sox statement said in part. Boston’s comments were attributed to principal owner John Henry, chairman Tom Werner and CEO Sam Kennedy.
“This is a sad day for us,” the statement continued. “Alex is a special person and a beloved member of the Red Sox. We are grateful for his impact on our franchise. We will miss his passion, his energy and his significant contributions to the communities of New England and Puerto Rico.”
Cora served as Hinch’s bench coach and was described as a central figure in the scheme that helped Houston capture a championship. His alleged wrongdoing in Boston included illegally using the video room adjacent to the home dugout at Fenway Park. MLB is investigating whether or not Red Sox players and staff members learned sign sequences employed by opposing teams and relayed them to hitters from first base or second base.
“We agreed today that parting ways was the best thing for the organization,” Cora said in the statement. “I do not want to be a distraction to the Red Sox as they move forward.
“My two years as manager were the best years of my life. It was an honor to manage these teams and help bring a World Series championship back to Boston. I will forever be indebted to the organization and the fans who supported me as a player, a manager and in my efforts to help Puerto Rico.
“This is a special place. There is nothing like it in all of baseball, and I will miss it dearly.”
Cora’s November 2017 hiring was a historic one, as he became the first manager of color since the Red Sox were founded in 1901. His rookie season saw the club roll to a record 108 wins and storm past the Yankees, Astros and Dodgers on their way to a title. Mookie Betts was the runaway winner of the American League Most Valuable Player award, J.D. Martinez enjoyed a career season after his offseason signing as a free agent and Boston appeared poised for an extended run of dominance atop the sport.
All of that soured in 2019, as the Red Sox slumped to an 84-78 mark and missed the playoffs. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski was fired in September and Chaim Bloom was hired away from Tampa Bay’s front office to become the chief baseball officer. Offseason trade rumors involving David Price, Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. were certain to dominate the February conversation at spring training prior to Tuesday’s events.
