Boston Red Sox Re-Hire Alex Cora
Back in January of this year, when the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal reached its highest point due to the release of the Commissioner’s Investigation Report, it was revealed that Red Sox manager Alex Cora, was one of the orchestrators of not only the Astros’ cheating in 2017 but also a sign-stealing system for the Red Sox in 2018. Cora was the bench coach for the Houston Astros in 2017.
He was hired by the Red Sox to be their new manager shortly after the 2017 season ended. Cora was fired by the Red Sox in January for being involved in 2 sign-stealing scandals that both lead to the teams’ world championships.
He was replaced by interim manager Ron Roenicke, who managed the team in 2020. He led them to one of the worst records in baseball and last place in the AL East. The Red Sox were looking for a new manager. They made the decision to re-sign Alex Cora to be their manager per sources. When AJ Hinch was hired to manage the Tigers after being suspended for the Astros’ cheating, the possibility of Cora returning to the managing scene increased until Jon Heyman made the report this morning.
When Cora took over, the Red Sox had just experienced back-to-back eliminations in the ALDS. They had a great team, but couldn’t get over the hump in October. Once Cora began managing, the Red Sox became an absolute juggernaut. They won 108 games, had a historically good offense, and one of the best starting rotations in the league. The Red Sox went on the win the 2017 World Series.
However, it was discovered that Cora had been using a sign-stealing system in 2018. Players would analyze the other team’s pitch signs in the video room, and then when they reached a place where they could signal them to the batter, they would tell the batter what pitch was going to be thrown if they could see the catcher’s signs.
The system wasn’t implemented in 2019, and the Red Sox regressed from a 108 win team to an 84 win team and missed the playoffs. It wasn’t as obvious to notice as the Astros’ scheme in 2017. However, they were still caught and Cora was fired for his actions. The Red Sox believe that Cora will keep a code of honor in his return to Boston and hopes to lead the Red Sox back into contention after a terrible 2020 season.
