Sox fans shed no tears over Cora leaving
Baseball fans around Boston indicated they won’t miss ousted Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who left from the club on “mutual” terms amid an ongoing sign-stealing scandal that’s ensnared both the Sox and the Houston Astros, Cora’s last stop before Boston.
“I love what he’s done with the Sox, but I don’t love that their record was maybe based on cheating. You hate to hear that, because it tainted the whole World Series,” Sox fan Greg Stevens, of Attleboro, said outside Fenway Park Wednesday.
Cora led the Red Sox to a 108win season in 2018 that concluded with a World Series title. But less than two years after fans chanted “Damage Done” during a duck boat parade, the manager was implicated in a widespread sign-stealing investigation. He left the Sox Tuesday and left fans wondering whether their latest championship came with an asterisk.
“It’s tainted in some regard. There are some fleeting thoughts of how they got the wins and what got them there. But I can’t imagine that this is happening in a vacuum,” said Natick-based Sox fan, Drew Caruso.
“You really can’t do that and set a precedent for other people, that you could just get away with cheating,” said Peggy Valvana, of Back Bay.
“I think it’s a shame for baseball, what’s happened, including with the Astros,” said New Jersey native Dylan Glaser. “It’s not a good look for the MVP the last two years (2017 and 2018) to be part of a cheating scandal.”
Even a Yankees fan was a little bit disappointed by the questions the investigation raises about the integrity of the rivalry between New York and Boston.
“I like the rivalry that we have, and I like it to be a respectful rivalry, not a disrespectful rivalry,” said Yankees fan Dave Christadore.