Boston’s Cora aims to knock out former team
BOSTON — Alex Cora led Boston to a victory over the hated Yankees. Next up for the first-year Red Sox manager: The team he left after winning a World Series as a bench coach last season.
“I’ve been talking about them the whole season, so now we go,” he said after the Red Sox beat New York 4-3 in Game 4 of the AL Division Series to earn the right to play the Houston Astros for the pennant. “Best of seven. They know me. I know them. It should be fun.”
An infielder who played for the old Albuquerque Dukes (1998-2000) and spent 14 years with six big league teams, Cora was in Houston for one year before the Red Sox made him the first minority manager in franchise history — and one of its youngest, too. His first season is already a success, with a franchise-record 108 victories, a third consecutive AL East title and the team’s first playoff series win since 2013.
Now he has to do it again — against his former boss, A.J. Hinch, whose Astros swept Cleveland in the ALDS. Games 1 and 2 are Saturday and Sunday before the series moves to Houston for three more, if necessary.
“I don’t know too much about them. Just they have a good team,” Cora said coyly on Tuesday night. “What they did to the Indians, that was impressive. It seems like they’re playing their best baseball of the season at the right time.”
And so are the Red Sox, thanks to Cora.
In his first postseason series as a manager, he seemed to make all the right decisions, like starting Brock Holt in Game 3 and seeing him hit for the only postseason cycle in baseball history. And then he put Holt back on the bench in Game 4 and watched Ian Kinsler come through with a key RBI double.
“We’re very fortunate to have a guy in A.C., who is not very far removed from playing the game, which definitely helps,” Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes said. “You have a guy who won the World Series last year, so he knows what it takes to win a World Series.
“It seemed like every button he’s pushing is the right one. I think he’s got a great feel for the game. He understands the game. He does a great job of managing and communicating with everybody on what’s going on, and I think it showed in this series, and it will be awesome moving forward.”
Hinch said he is happy for his former assistant, who was a sounding board on strategy and preparation.
“(I’m) trying to remember some things that I told him that I wish I wouldn’t have,” Hinch said Wednesday when the Astros worked out for the first time since learning their next opponent.
GIANTS: Bench coach Hensley Meulens has interviewed with the Cincinnati Reds for their open managerial position and also is set to meet with the Minnesota Twins this week for the job that opened when Paul Molitor was fired.
CUBS: A person with knowledge of the situation says Chicago has fired hitting coach Chili Davis.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the move has not been announced.
CARDINALS: Right-hander Adam Wainwright agreed to a one-year deal Thursday, bringing Wainwright back to the only major league team he’s pitched for. The 37-year-old Wainwright has been with St. Louis since making his big-league debut in 2005.
YANKEES: Mariano Rivera came to the defense of the beleaguered Aaron Boone, saying that the manager did a “tremendous” job despite their early ouster in the postseason, and adding that this team could be one quality front-line pitcher away from building a dynasty of its own.
“I can’t say nothing bad about Boone. He did a great job. An amazing job,” the former closer said Thursday afternoon at a fire house in Harlem. (He was on hand to visit with elementary school children and teach them about the importance of fire safety during fire prevention month.) Boone, he said, kept his players “motivated — pushing and pushing and pushing. To me, he did an outstanding job, absolutely great job with those guys and hopefully next year, you give him the help that he needs to get to the next level.”
TIGERS: Right-hander Jordan Zimmermann and outfielder Christin Stewart had core muscle repair surgery Thursday but are expected to be ready for spring training.