MLB: Former Dodger Alex Cora Throws Astros Under the Bus in Cheating Scandal
Just when you know the Astro players thought they were starting to get out of the woods, the alleged ring leader throws them right back in.
In a conversation with ESPN, former Houston bench coach (and one-time long-time Dodger infielder) Alex Cora wanted to clear the air when it comes to the cheating allegations the Astros were punished for earlier this year.
ESPN scribe Marly Rivera got some seriously hot takes from Cora.
There has been a narrative out there of what happened. … 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 … as if I were the sole mastermind.
Cora spent the 2017 season as the Astros bench coach before being hired as the manager of the Boston Red Sox ahead of the 2018 season (where he brought his questionable tactics with him).
But the 44-year-old is now ready to defend himself and that “ring leader” narrative in Houston’s cheating scandal. The narrative primarily pointed fingers at Cora as well as veteran outfielder/DH Carlos Beltran.
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.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred failed to properly punish threw the book at the Astros mid-January of this year. The report from the commissioner’s office heavily indicted Cora and Beltran while active Astro players were allowed to walk away scot-free. The cost of their cooperation was immunity in the investigation.
Safe to say that that might not be sitting right with Cora anymore — much like it hasn’t with most people around baseball.
As a final point, Cora spoke on the validity of Houston’s ill-gotten 2017 World Championship over the Dodgers. You know, the one where they cheated to win? Here’s what he had to say.
I understand why people think that our championship is not valid, and it’s our fault that they think that. I am being honest and I apologize for what happened and for the mistakes we made as a group.
Sorry, AC… that doesn’t make it better.
Where do you stand on this? Does this make you feel any different about Cora or the Astros players? Sound off in the comments below.
NEXT: Players Reportedly Agree to Realignment of Divisions for 2020
Not ever. I watched every pitch of that postseason run. Such a heartbreaker. Love that team.
Cora was the fall guy. They should have stripped the Title and banned the players for life.
Cora was the fall guy because he was THE mastermind, THE Cheater in Chief!
It’s ALL laid out in MLB’s final report which was summed up recently in the NYT.
From the NYT Article about Boston Rehiring Cora:
“ACCORDING TO MANFRED’S MLB REPORT, CORA ARRANGED FOR A MONITOR DISPLAYING THE CENTER-FIELD CAMERA FOOTAGE TO BE INSTALLED NEXT TO THE ASTROS’ DUGOUT. At least one player would decode the opposing team’s signs, and when the catcher issued a sign, the upcoming pitch would be relayed to the batter with a sound — most often the slamming of a baseball bat on a nearby trash can.
“CORA WAS INVOLVED IN DEVELOPING BOTH THE BANGING SCHEME AND UTILIZING THE REPLAY REVIEW ROOM TO DECODE AND TRANSMIT SIGNS,” MANFRED WROTE IN JANUARY. “Cora participated in both schemes, and through his active participation, implicitly condoned the players’ conduct.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/06/sports/baseball/alex-cora-red-sox.html
I thinks it’s good that Alex Cora is talking. Because he obviously feels that he and Carlos Beltran have been used as scapegoats then seriously what I would like at this point from him is to sit down for a long interview.
Let’s get his full side of the story and name names.
Let Alex Cora come completely clean and tell the whole story.
But we already know the names. The only name that matters is Manfred. He let the thieves keep the loot. A crooked cop is a crooked cop, but the judge who knowingly lets him go unpunished, is even worse.
Cora is obviously trying to salvage his career. If he can diffuse some of the blame he is hoping he might be able to get a job with some club in the future.
I hope that as any of those Astro players become free agents that nobody will sign them. Who would want them in their clubhouse anyway?!
It doesn’t really help much. Cora needs to explain who’s idea it all was. We still have the ex GM and manager claiming – ludicrously it seems – that this was all the fault of Cora and Beltran. He needs to explain who sanctioned something so widespread. Was it the team owner? Do you really think that Jim Crane was completely out of the loop like he claims? Yeah, the results on the field still need to be changed because they are tainted. At some point, MLB has to bite the bullet and say “there was no champion in 2017.” That’s really the only way to put this behind everybody – and to discourage it from happening again.
Manfred is crazy; the titles should be vacated. If ANY major leaguer knew what pitch was coming their averages would jump dramatically. This is still a sham!
It doesn’t really change my attitude towards Cora. What really rankles is so many astros were allowed to skate and they were allowed to keep the trophy. What bulls#$t.
They should have been stripped of the title. To not have done that after such blatant cheating is inexcusable. The commissioner should also be tossed out. How can you let this kind of cheating go unpunished. This is way worse than anything Pete Rose ever did and he was banned for life. This is total BS. It’s nice that Cora is telling the truth but it doesn’t change my mind about him being a cheating scumbag though.
By law, if someone hires a hitman to do a job, the hitman is guilty and the one that hired him is guilty. Don’t be the fall guy for everybody else. Let everyone know all was involved even if they lied on camera bring them out. And like many people, fans have said the comish is crooked as can be. The only ones that liked the outcome were houston Asterex fans.
These boys of summer sure knew how to F baseball. We still talk about sox scandal and Pete Rose years after the fact. I guess there punishment will be to here it for the rest of there lives……
Love it! Love that these cheaters are all breaking ranks, accepting some guilt, finger pointing, and throwing each other under the bus. This is how we get the story because the commish was unwilling to get real. For me it starts with the manager – how can we take him seriously about not condoning it when they are banging jugs a mere few feet away from him. Don’t agree with it, go over there and tell some gopher worker to get rid of everything. Nope. Now we have Cora trying to be contrite when he cheated for two years. I agree that he and Beltran were the fall guys from the younger players but way to sling it around and implicate names. Both manager and Cora should be banned from baseball for much longer. But here’s what I want to see. IF you really believe that you did something wrong, then do this…(1) Voluntarily turn your WS ring and Championship T-shirt and hat that they give you on TV into the commissioner’s office. With a formal apology for your part in it. (2) Step up and say that you and your teammates do NOT deserve the championship, and that you request that any reference to a World Series championship be removed from that year?s team. Why do we need the commissioner to do it? If you are apologetic and you want to make things right, do it yourself. Cora can be the first to say it, “I relinquish any part of the WS championship.” —-And anyone who thinks that I as a Dodgers fan, wants the Dodgers to have the trophy, NOPE. You know what you can do with that trophy.
By no means do I feel better. He was one of the coaches and bears nearly as much responsibility as the manager. You’re the coach!! ?
Played ball thru elementary & junior high, while growing up in NE as a kid, & attended several RedSox games at Fenway, & even got a personal Carlton Fisk autographed ball…
Always liked the Dodgers too & moved to Socal early 90s & became a Dodger fan. Now, after seeing this absolutely disrespectful pure chaos going essentially unpunished, I have essentially lost all respect or desire for the MLB. I’ll still watch a bit if/when it returns, however for any logical & appropriate executive leadership to simply disregard, & for all intentions ‘let the championship’ remain ‘properly earned & awarded’ to the confirmed cheating team is as utterly foul & inappropriate as anything I’ve ever heard or seen in my life….
So, it’s basically all right & okay to cheat & simply be reprimanded & remain an entitled champion. Yeah, sounds logical….
This remains a disgusting, insult to my intelligence, blatantly foolish, & truly, entirely unacceptable.
Luhnow, Hinch and Cora need lifetime bans. They already gave the players immunity. Even though I’m a lifetime Houston fan, I’d still like to see the Dodgers and Yankees give them butt whippings they won’t soon forget. What they did wasn’t unprecedented but it was unforgivable. As for the ‘17 championship, it means nothing to me now that I know they cheated.