alex cora

MLB News/Rumors: Alex Cora is old new Boston Red Sox 2021 manager

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Boston Red Sox, Alex Cora

In more bizarre MLB News, Boston Nation is already cheering the decision to bring back Cora. Ownership and key players supported Cora’s return, but it was GM Chaim Bloom’s call in the end. Ownership went to Puerto Rico this week to interview Cora, his answers were apparently what the Red Sox wanted to hear, and they have rehired the shamed Alex Cora.

The Sox news was first reported by John Hayman, insider, at MLB Network. Hayman reported that Cora got his old job back over Sam Fuld in the end. Hard not to hire the guy who guided the team to a World Series title only a couple of years ago.

Alex Cora was fired by Red Sox management for his proven involvement in the 2017 Houston Astros cheating scandal. Cora at the team was the bench coach for the Astros. According to the New York Times…

“Cora was involved in developing both the banging scheme and utilizing the replay review room to decode and transmit signs,” the report said. “Cora participated in both schemes, and through his active participation, implicitly condoned the players’ conduct.”

For New York Yankees fans the rehiring of Alex Cora is a slap in the face for a team that is an annual rival. The Cora cheating scandal may have cost the New York Yankees a World Series berth in 2017 for sure and possibly a 2019 appearance. The Astros used electronic means to steal signs from Yankees pitchers and relay them to hitters. The Los Angeles Dodgers also lost out when the Astros stole the World Series from them. Another slap for the Yankees was when Jose Altuve won the MVP award when the World Series was over. It was a personal loss to the Yankees Aaron Judge, who came in second in the MLB MVP voting.

Now the Yankees will face Cora again as the Red Sox Manager. Apparently the Red Sox and its fans have no shame in allowing Cora to again manage for them when many in baseball believe he should have been banned from baseball for life, instead of the one-year suspension he received. The Boston Red Sox and Cora will surely hear it from Yankee fans when they visit Yankee Stadium.

 

 

The New York Yankees will escape any sign stealing allegations after using video replay a few years ago

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New York Yankees, Aaron boone

With the consequences raining down on the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox after MLB commissioner Robert Manfred laid down the hammer, it’s only fair to think, will other clubs be included in the hunt as well. The New York Yankees could be a target for the league office, as now former Red Sox manager Alex Cora has made skeptical comments in the past.

Cora stated that Carlos Beltran, who was relieved of his duties on Wednesday night, helped the Yankees steal signs in 2019, but Major League Baseball has stood by its opinion on the Yankees. They will not pursue any allegations against the club, as there’s no prevalent evidence to suggest they’re a concern.

“I was joking with somebody that their biggest free agent acquisition was Carlos Beltran,” Cora said with a wink. “I know how he works. He’s helping a lot. They’re paying attention to details and we have to clean our details.”

The now unemployed manager helped install video feed directed at opposing pitchers, in which the Houston Astros took to the next level, banging on trash cans and whistling to indicate different types of pitches. The Yankees have no such actions, at least via audio.

The New York Yankees used video replay a few years ago:

As per Martino, the Bombers did use video replay from 2015-17 to decipher signs, however, they complied with rules set by the MLB in relation to the room they used. The Red Sox didn’t comply with these standards, which has seen Cora receive the ax for his participation.

With Boston and Houston winning World Series over the past few years, it raises concern over the ethics of the game and if they should be stripped of their titles. The Yankees, having lost in the ALCS the past two seasons, have reportedly not been involved in ant scandalous activities, but, it’s possible they’re just better at covering up than the rest.

Should the New York Mets Fire Carlos Beltran?

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New York Mets to interview Carlos Beltran.

The New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox, and Houston Astros are the respective heel characters in their sports because of their tainted success. Whether anyone agrees with their methods, they achieved things many teams fall short of year after year. After A.J. Hinch and Alex Cora lost their jobs due to the cheating scandal, firing Carlos Beltran will do more harm than good for the New York Mets future.

Beltran was a player during the time of the incident, and if we are going to throw him in with the coaches, then the other players should be dragged in as well. The penalties on the Astros were weak, and as a long-suffering Mets fan, I would gladly take the penalties to get a World Series ring. My opinion would easily differ if my job was on the line.

I would like to hear the excuse for the Astros playing better on the road during the 2017 season, but that is another topic for a much longer article.

Give Beltran a Chance

What the Astros did was cheating. Beltran gets dragged into the whole mess because he was the veteran of the team who was in the year of his career. It was not his responsibility to stop the sign stealing. His duty is equal with the other 24 men who he played with. If Beltran received a penalty, every hitter who spent time on the Astros roster in 2017 deserves a suspension.

Beltran is still a brilliant baseball mind, and his actions as a player should not equal his actions as a manager. The Mets should try to gain every legal advantage they can because clearly what they have done for the last 30 years has not resulted in any resounding success.

Many detractors of Beltran say it will be a massive distraction with the media if he stays. It will only be a distraction if the Mets allow it to be. Beltran and the Mets organization does not need to answer any question they feel is not relevant to the Mets. We have seen the Wilpons and the organization control the media narrative multiple times throughout the years, so why can’t they do it again?

While everything is still fresh with both the Astros and Red Sox investigations, the best the Mets can do is lay low and continue to handle themselves the way they have been. If the Mets want to create a distraction and media circus, they easily can. Keeping Beltran and allowing him to create his legacy as a manager will be the easiest way to bury any doubts about him.

 

Boston Red Sox fire Alex Cora after admission to electronic sign stealing

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Boston Red Sox, Alex Cora

Amid the Manfred report on the cheating of the Houston Astros and subsequent punishments issued by the MLB, the nine-page report showed the involvement of Alex Cora but did not issue any sanctions against him due to the Red Sox investigation was still ongoing.  The report mentioned Cora 11 times, describing him as a critical person in the planning and execution of the cheating scheme. The Red Sox organization last evening fired Alex Cora as the Red Sox Manager.

The Red Sox issued the following statement for owner John Henry:

“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 and we mutually agreed to part ways,” the team said in a statement attributed to Cora  “We agreed today that parting ways was the best thing for the organization,” Cora said in a statement released by the Red Sox. “I do not want to be a distraction to the Red Sox as they move forward. “attributed to owner John Henry, chairman Tom Werner, CEO Sam Kennedy, and Cora.

Alex Cora guided the team to a franchise-record 108 regular-season victories in 2018 and its fourth World Series title in 15 years. The Red Sox beat a pair of 100-win teams in the Yankees and Astros in the AL playoffs, then defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in a five-game World Series to make Cora the first Puerto Rican manager to win a championship and the fifth manager to guide a team to a title in his first season.  That win is now in question as the MLB continues to investigate.    Regardless of the final findings of Commissioner Manfred, Alex Cora is gone as Red Sox Manager.

John Henry also said, “This is a sad day for us,” Henry, Werner, and Kennedy said in a statement. “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.”  The fall out from electric sign-stealing shows the MLB’s commitment to not allowing electronic involvement in sign-stealing and breaking MLB rules.

On Monday, Jim Crane owner of the Houston Astros fired Astros Manager A.J. Hinch and General Manager Jeff Luhnow after Manfreds nine-page report on the Astros sign-stealing accusations.  In the report, Cora was mentioned for his prime involvement in the directing of placing a center field camera that could relate catchers signs to a monitor just outside the Astros dugout;  The present investigation that is ongoing into whether the Red Sox used electronic methods of sign stealing in their win of the 2018 World Series may still have consequences for the Red Sox organization.

New York Yankees: Chris Sale and Alex Cora Ejected in Saturday’s Game Against the Yanks

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New York Yankees, Chris Sale

The New York Yankees are savages. They took Boston ace Chris Sale through 3.2 innings before he threw a fit on the mound and was ejected due to his theatrics. Red Sox manager Alex Cora was thrown out of the game before Sale, where it looked like Cora was giving the home plate umpire an ear-full about balls and strikes.

As Sale was removed from the game, he walked off the mound while screaming at the umpire. It was clear that he was upset about balls and strikes as well because of his reactions after pitch calls. Sale allowed eight earned runs on nine hits through 3.2 innings pitched.

Sale is credited to a 4.26 ERA and a 5-11 record, nowhere close to the dominant season he had last year. He currently holds a 9.90 ERA against the Yankees this season where he’s allowed four home runs on 19 hits in three games (Baseball Reference). In 4 games started against the Bombers, he is winless.

DJ Lehmahieu is Chris Sale’s worst nightmare. LeMahieu hit two home runs today and it seemed like Sale had no idea what to throw him. LeMahieu’s inside-out swing allows him to take Sale’s whacky delivery to the other side of the field. We saw this today with his second home run into the short porch.

The Yankees are currently 9-4 against the Red Sox. Both teams have scored the same amount of runs (82) however the Yankees are still atop them comfortably. This is huge as the run for the division is almost impossible for them to take it away from the Yanks.