The Boston Red Sox officially announced the hiring of Houston Astros bench coach Alex Cora as their new manager. Cora will remain with the Astros for their World Series matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Cora, who becomes the 47th manager in Red Sox franchise history, agreed to a three-year contract that includes a club option for a fourth year in 2021. He’s the 22nd former Red Sox player to be named manager of the team.
“We were very impressed when we interviewed Alex,” Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. “He came to us as a highly-regarded candidate, and from speaking with him throughout this process, we found him to be very knowledgeable, driven, and deserving of this opportunity.
“He is a highly respected and hardworking individual who has experience playing in Boston. Alex also has a full appreciation for the use of analytical information in today’s game and his ability to communicate and relate to both young players and veterans is a plus. Finally, the fact that he is bilingual is very significant for our club.”
Boston joins the Dodgers, among others, in tabbing a new manager who did not have previous experience in such a position. Cora began his coaching career just this season with the Astros. He nonetheless was among the top candidates to fill managerial vacancies in Boston, Detroit and New York.
The 42-year-old did serve as general manager for the Criollos de Caguas in the Puerto Rican Winter League over the past five seasons. He doubled as the team’s manager in 2014-15 and 2015-16.
Prior to joining the Astros coaching staff, Cora spent four years as an analyst for ESPN and ESPN Deportes. His 16-year playing career began with the Dodgers, who selected the infielder in the third round of the 1996 Draft.
Arguably Cora’s top moment with the Dodgers came May 12, 2004, when he worked a 2-1 count, fouled off 14 consecutive pitches and ended the 18 pitch at-bat with a home run.
The Red Sox fired John Farrell as manager following a second consecutive elimination in the American League Division Series. Farrell went 432-378 over five seasons and guided the team to a World Series title in 2013.
