Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora during the first inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019, in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Chris O'Meara / AP Photo
Red Sox manager Alex Cora to ‘part ways’ with Boston after sign-stealing scandal
A lengthy investigation by Major League Baseball concluded he helped develop the sign-stealing system in Houston and Boston.
By Vanessa Romo/NPR
Chris O'Meara / AP Photo
Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora during the first inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019, in St. Petersburg, Fla.
(Boston) — Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora is the latest casualty of the baseball cheating scheme that has rocked the sports world this week.
Cora, who was bench coach for the 2017 World Series-winning Houston Astros and went on to become manager for the Red Sox, and lead that team to victory in 2018, announced on Friday he is parting ways with Boston.
A lengthy investigation by Major League Baseball concluded he helped develop the sign-stealing system that was seen as contributing to the Astros’ and the Red Sox’s devastating back-to-back blows to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Cora’s departure was widely expected and follows those of Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow. The two were first suspended by baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred on Monday, then fired by Astros owner Jim Crane later that day.
“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 owner John Henry, chairman Tom Werner, CEO Sam Kennedy and Cora.
Statement from the Boston #RedSox and Alex Cora: pic.twitter.com/qXsUhSobSy
— Red Sox (@RedSox) January 15, 2020
The statement said the four of them had agreed “parting ways was the best thing” for the team.
“I do not want to be a distraction to the Red Sox as they move forward,” he wrote. “It was an honor to manage these teams and help bring a World Series Championship back to Boston.”
The use of technology is strictly forbidden in baseball but investigators say the Texas team used a combination of high- and low-tech.
Eric Gay / AP Photo
FILE PHOTO: In this Oct. 28, 2019, file photo, Houston Astros manager AJ Hinch talks to the media during a news conference for baseball’s World Series, in Houston. Houston manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were suspended for the entire season Monday, Jan. 13, 2020, and the team was fined $5 million for sign-stealing by the team in 2017 and 2018 season. Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the discipline and strongly hinted that current Boston manager Alex Cora — the Astros bench coach in 2017 — will face punishment later. Manfred said Cora developed the sign-stealing system used by the Astros.
Officials say that during all of the Astros 2017 home games, the team used monitors near the dugout to watch live cameras placed in center field that were picking up secret hand signals between the opposing team’s catcher and pitcher. When the Astros decoded the signs, they relayed the information to their hitters by banging on a trash can.
As NPR reported:
“Manfred said the banging method was planned and executed by Cora and players. Using the center field camera to decode signs was ‘originated by lower-level baseball operations employees working in conjunction with Astros players and Cora.’
“While the investigation said that ‘most of the position players on the 2017 team’ participated in the scheme, Crane said no players will be suspended.”
Sometimes, your mornings are just too busy to catch the news beyond a headline or two. Don’t worry. The Morning Agenda has got your back. Each weekday morning, host Tim Lambert will keep you informed, amused, enlightened and up-to-date on what’s happening in central Pennsylvania and the rest of this great commonwealth.
