Even as the Boston Red Sox announced Alex Cora’s departure for his role in the Houston Astros’ cheating scandal that marred the 2017 season, the manager’s former bosses spoke glowingly about him. In 2018, after all, Cora had guided the Red Sox to a World Series title.
“He was a tremendous manager for us on all levels, so we’re going to miss him,” Red Sox owner John Henry said in January. Sam Kennedy, the team’s president, called Cora “an extreme talent,” and when asked about the possibility of a second chance, said: “He’s apologized to us for the embarrassment that this caused. He’ll go through a process of rehabilitation, so we’ll see what happens.”
Ten months after Cora was ousted, and with a Major League Baseball-imposed 2020 suspension now complete, the Red Sox announced on Friday evening that Cora, 45, was back in his old job.
“This past year, I have had time to reflect and evaluate many things, and I recognize how fortunate I am to lead this team once again,” Cora said in a statement issued by the team. “Not being a part of the game of baseball, and the pain of bringing negative attention to my family and this organization was extremely difficult. I am sorry for the harm my past actions have caused and will work hard to make this organization and its fans proud.”
Cora, formerly Houston’s bench coach, is the latest principal figure from the Astros’ tainted 2017 World Series championship season to return to baseball. Last week, the Detroit Tigers hired A.J. Hinch — Cora’s former boss and Houston’s manager during the 2017 and 2018 seasons in question — for their managerial vacancy.
Two other central characters who lost their jobs during the fallout of the scandal have yet to return to baseball: Jeff Luhnow — the former Astros general manager who, once again, proclaimed his innocence in a television interview last month — and Carlos Beltran, who stepped down as the Mets’ manager after he was the only Astros player named in M.L.B. Commissioner Rob Manfred’s report. Like Cora and Hinch, Luhnow was suspended by M.L.B. for the 2020 season; Beltran was not disciplined. Luhnow and Hinch were fired by the Astros after M.L.B. announced their penalties.
Because Cora and Hinch were previously well-liked figures, successful as managers and contrite about their roles in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal, they were given another shot to lead teams.
Cora was heavily implicated in the report issued by Manfred in January, which came after the sign-stealing schemes were detailed by The Athletic in November 2019. An M.L.B. investigation granted players immunity in exchange for testimony.
According to Manfred’s report, Cora arranged for a monitor displaying the center-field camera footage to be installed next to the Astros’ dugout. At least one player would decode the opposing team’s signs, and when the catcher issued a sign, the upcoming pitch would be relayed to the batter with a sound — most often the slamming of a baseball bat on a nearby trash can.
“Cora was involved in developing both the banging scheme and utilizing the replay review room to decode and transmit signs,” Manfred wrote in January. “Cora participated in both schemes, and through his active participation, implicitly condoned the players’ conduct.”
Soon afterward, the Red Sox and Cora “mutually agreed to part ways.” While Red Sox officials then said that Cora had expressed remorse to them, Cora’s team-issued statement didn’t have an apology or admission of wrongdoing. Cora thanked the team’s executives and called his two seasons with the Red Sox “the best years of my life.”
It wasn’t until April, when M.L.B. announced its investigation into allegations of the Red Sox stealing signs during the 2018 season, that Cora first publicly apologized. He said then that he took “full responsibility” for his role in the Astros’ scandal and called the team’s collective conduct “unacceptable.”
Cora was not disciplined by M.L.B. relating to Boston’s sign-stealing scandal, which Manfred called “far more limited in scope and impact” than Houston’s. J.T. Watkins, the Red Sox video replay operator, was the only person formally disciplined as a result of that report. At the time, though, Manfred announced Cora’s suspension for the 2020 season for his role with the Astros’ sign stealing.
During the 2019 season, the Red Sox fired Dave Dombrowski, their president of baseball operations who had hired Cora and helped build the team that won the 2018 title. Chaim Bloom replaced Dombrowski and promoted Cora’s bench coach, Ron Roenicke, to manager for the 2020 season.
The Red Sox, who are rebuilding under Bloom, were one of the worst teams in the major leagues this year, going 24-36 during the truncated season. Before the final game of the season, the Red Sox told Roenicke he would not return as manager in 2021, once again fueling speculation that Cora would return.
“Cora is an outstanding manager, and the right person to lead our club into 2021 and beyond,” Bloom said in a statement on Friday.
The Red Sox had considered a stable of candidates, Bloom said, and when Cora’s suspension ended last week, the two spoke, even though Bloom was unsure if it made sense yet to consider Cora for the job.
“Our conversations were lengthy, intense, and emotional,” Bloom said. “Alex knows that what he did was wrong, and he regrets it. My belief is that every candidate should be considered in full: strengths and weaknesses, accomplishments and failures. That is what I did with Alex in making this choice. He loves the Red Sox and the game of baseball, and because of that we believe he will make good on this second chance.”
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