Former Astros’ Bench Coach Alex Cora Says That Cheating Scandal Was Not A Two-Man Show

Alex Cora was one of the people highlighted as having deep involvement in the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal in 2017. Cora was a bench coach with the Astors during that season and after the team won the World Series, Cora was named as the manager of the Boston Red Sox, where they went on to win the World Series in 2018. After details emerged about the Astros and their cheating, Cora received a season-long suspension for his involvement and was fired by the Red Sox, but Cora is not willing to take the entirety of the blame.

In speaking with ESPN, the 44-year old Cora said that he accepts his suspension by Major League Baseball, but does not feel that the lack of punishments doled out was fair. “There has been a narrative out there of what happened. Ever since mid-November until the commissioner announced the results of the Red Sox investigation, I have read many things that are true and many others that are not. Out of this whole process, if there is one thing that I completely reject and disagree with is people within the Astros organization singling me out, particularly Jeff Luhnow, as if I were the sole mastermind. The commissioner’s report sort of explained, in its own way, what happened. But the [Astros players] have spoken up and refuted any allegations that I was solely responsible. … If there is one thing I am absolutely sure of, it is that it was not a two-man show. We all did it. And let me be very clear that I am not denying my responsibility, because we were all responsible.”

Following MLB’s investigations into the Astros and Red Sox, only Luhnow and A.J. Hinch, who were the general manager and manager of the Astros in 2017, were fired from the Astros, Cora was fired from the Red Sox, and Carlos Beltran, who played for the Astros in 2017, was fired from his job as manager of the New York Mets.

Cora mentioned while talking to ESPN that he would love to return to baseball at the conclusion of his suspension, but is focusing on other things right now. “Right now, all I care about is my personal life and my family. This has not been an easy time for us, and it’s my fault. Do I want to return to the game? Absolutely. That’s why I worked so hard for so many years before being named Red Sox manager. But right now, all of that is secondary. My focus is on much more important things.”