The Boston Red Sox fired head coach Alex Cora on April 25 after a 17-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
The win itself didn’t result in his departure, but the 10-17 record after being favorites to win the American League East did.
“They were terrible. It’s probably a good thing,” said math teacher Zach Phillips.
Going into the season, the Red Sox were coming off a disappointing exit to their bitter rivals, the New York Yankees in the wild card round.
It was time to make a World Series push in a wide open American League, so the Red Sox brought in players such as pitcher Ranger Suarez and first basemen Wilson Contreras.
However, Suarez has been a disappointment along with others like 2024 all star Jarren Duran and 2025 Cy Young candidate (best pitcher award) Garret Crochet. The offense has been abysmal, ranking 27th in OPS and 18th in runs scored.
While the pitching hasn’t been much better it still hasn’t been great.
Cora was widely regarded as one of the best managers in the league, so it was surprising to see him fired so early in the season, especially after the Red Sox were in a similar position last season and had a great mid-season turn around.
“It was a change in the program, but I’m not sure if it was the right one,” said junior Nathaniel Antonakes.
Cora won the World Series with the Red Sox in 2018 after managing one of the greatest teams in MLB history. However, it all went downhill from there.
In 2019 the Red Sox missed the playoffs entirely, and right before the 2020 season, Cora and the Red Sox parted ways after a sign stealing scandal came out which he was heavily involved in from when he was the bench coach with the 2017 World Series champion Houston Astros.
Cora was suspended for a year and his reputation was significantly hurt and many wondered if the Red Sox cheated. The Red Sox missed the playoffs in the shortened 2020 season and brought back Cora to coach the Red Sox in 2021.
In the 2021 season Cora led the Sox to an ALCS appearance which they lost in six games to the Astros.
The years 2022-2024 were all disappointing seasons that resulted in two last place finishes in the AL East.
“The firing was deserved. The Red Sox haven’t done much since 2018 and the teams have been mediocre,” said junior Yianni Apostolopoulos.
However, the 2025 season was a major success that showcased the Red Sox potential to be elite in the upcoming seasons, with stars such as rookie sensation Roman Anthony and outfielder Cedanne Rafaela.
Now, the Red Sox will face the challenge of looking for a new manager role in 2027 while they try to turn their season around.