AP FILE Cora speaks out
Alex Cora spoke publicly for the first time since the MLB investigations into the Astros and the Red Sox in an interview with ESPN’s Marly Rivera Thursday.
“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,” Cora said.
“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 [former general manager] Jeff Luhnow ,asifI 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,” Cora said in response to allegations he and former Astros designated hitter Carlos Beltran were soley responsible for the scheme. “And let me be very clear that I am not denying my responsibility, because we were all responsible.
“I deserve my suspension and I’m paying the price for my actions,” Cora continued. “And I am not proud of what happened. We made a mistake as a group, the entire [Astros] team. What happened was something that, if you ask anyone involved, no one is proud of it. We’re all at fault.”
Cora spoke mainly about the investigation into his former team in Houston. He had little to say about the Red Sox investigation except that the MLB’s report “speaks for itself.”