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The Boston Red Sox are firing manager Alex Cora, ESPN reported Saturday. The team is also letting go of hitting coach Peter Fatse, bench coach Rámon Vazquez and game-planning coach Jason Varitek.
Red Sox owner John Henry put out a statement addressing the decision.
“Alex Cora led this organization to one of the greatest seasons in Red Sox history in 2018, and for that, and the many years that followed, he will always have our deepest gratitude. He has had a lasting impact on this team and on this city. He has led on and off the field in so many important ways,” Henry said.
“These decisions are never easy, but this one is especially difficult given what Alex has meant to the Red Sox since the day he arrived. I want to thank Alex, our coaches, and their families for everything they have given to this organization. They have been part of this club in a way that goes beyond the field, and they will always have our respect and gratitude.”
Cora’s reported firing comes after the team’s 10-17 start to the season, as the team has lost four of their last five games. However, the firing comes after Boston’s largest win of the season — a 17-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday.
The Red Sox lost 10-3 on Friday night, after getting swept in a three-game series by the rival New York Yankees.
Boston’s slow start comes in a year with heightened expectations, after the Red Sox reached the postseason last season.
Cora was previously fired by the Red Sox in 2020 amid peak controversy over his involvement in the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal, as he was the mastermind behind Houston’s method of illegally stealing signs electronically. At that point, Cora was less than two years removed from leading the Red Sox to the 2018 World Series title.
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The Red Sox then rehired Cora for the 2021 season after public discourse over the scandal eased, and he led Boston to the ALCS that year. However, under Cora’s leadership, Boston missed the playoffs from 2022-24, and was eliminated in the wild-card round by the Yankees last year.
Now, in last place in the AL East to start this season, Boston is making wholesale changes after a surprisingly bad start.
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