After Series win with Astros, Cora aims to knock them out
B OSTON» Alex Cora led Boston to a victory over the hated Yankees. Next up for the firstyear 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 43 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 spent 14 years with six bigleague 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 franchiserecord 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, 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. You’ve got a fantastic young coach in Mike Malone, and I like what they’re doing by building and developing and resigning their young talent.”
Miller was wellversed in the Nuggets’ offseason, which included signing Jokic to a fiveyear max contract and resigning Will Barton.
“Gary Harris is an upandcoming nice young player, Jamal Murray has come into his own as that starting point guard for the Nuggets,” Miller said. “Are they in the category of Golden State, Houston, Utah — I’ll even throw OKC — as my top four in the West? No. But they’re in that same category with LeBron (James) and the Lakers, New Orleans, Dallas, San Antonio, Pelicans.”
Miller had the Nuggets as
“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 and took over when Hinch was ejected.
“(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. high as No. 5 in this year’s playoffs — hardly a stretch considering they finished two games off the pace of last year’s No. 5 seed, the Utah Jazz.
“They’ll be No. 5 or No. 6 All games on TBS (Bestofseven; xif necessary) Saturday: Houston (Verlander 169) at Boston (Sale 124), 6:09 p.m. Sunday: Houston at Boston, 5:09 p.m.
Oct. 16: Boston at Houston, 3:09 p.m.
Oct. 17: Boston at Houston, 6:39 p.m. xOct. 18: Boston at Houston, 6:09 p.m. xOct.20: Houston at Boston, 3:09 p.m. xOct. 21: Houston at Boston, 5:39 p.m.
“The bench coach and the manager are really tight,” Hinch said. “He was obviously right next to me every step of the way. As a bench coach, you’re kind of involved in everything (but) maybe master of nothing when it comes to not being in charge.” in the West,” Miller said. “And they’ll be making noise.”