The Boston Red Sox announced in a statement Tuesday evening that Alex Cora is no longer manager of the team as part of a cheating scandal.
“Today we met to discuss the Commissioner’s report related to the Houston Astros investigation," the statement issued on behalf of Principal Owner John Henry, Chairman Tom Werner, CEO Sam Kennedy and Cora said. "Given the findings and the Commissioner’s ruling, we collectively decided that it would not be possible for Alex to effectively lead the club going forward and we mutually agreed to part ways."
"This is a sad day for us," it continued, "Alex is a special person and a beloved member of the Red Sox. We are grateful for his impact on our franchise."
Cora added in the statement that he agreed to leave so as to not "be a distraction to the Red Sox."
"My two years as manager were the best years of my life," he said. "It was an honor to manage these teams and help bring a World Series Championship back to Boston. I will forever be indebted to the organization and the fans who supported me as a player, a manager and in my efforts to help Puerto Rico.
"This is a special place. There is nothing like it in all of baseball and I will miss it dearly."
Major League Baseball issued a report Monday that named Cora as an "active participant" in an electronic sign-stealing scheme — where participants would use video footage to figure out signals being sent from the catcher to the pitcher — with both the Red Sox in 2018 and Houston Astros in 2017.
The Astros fired their general manager, Jeff Luhnow, and manager, AJ Hinch, for their roles in the scheme Monday.
Trenni Kusnierek, an NBC Sports Anchor and Reporter for NBC Sports Boston, said that given what happened to the Astros' leadership, Cora's fate was not a surprise and to expect stronger repercussions for Cora.
"Once the Houston Astros fired their manager and general manager, the feeling around baseball is that the punishment on both the Red Sox and Alex Cora is expected to be harsher than that on [them]," she said. "The prevailing thought is that he might get two years, it may be as much as a lifetime ban [from MLB].
"I think this is a really difficult decision for John Henry, Tom Werner and Sam Kennedy," she continued. "They really like Alex Cora. He won a World Series with this team his first year as manager in 2018 and players really respect him and responded well to him."
Sports columnist for "The Athletic" Steve Buckley said the scandal will have long lasting repercussions for the Red Sox.
"Red Sox fans are going to be extremely suspicious of this team moving forward," he said. "This is the worst off season in Red Sox history. Their manager has been fired effectively because of a cheating scandal.
"The Red Sox right now have a new general manager and they have no manager at the the moment and they have to begin the process of getting a new manager at a time when everybody is going to be suspicious of this team moving forward."
Alberto Vasallo, president and CEO of El Mundo — a Spanish-language publication in Boston — said that the Latino community would feel the sting especially hard.
"There is an emotional attachment with Alex Cora and the Latino community," he said. "More specifically, the Puerto Rican community.
"This was not just a manager ... getting caught for something," he added. "This is a hero. This was a guy who used his platform, especially in 2018, winning the World Series, bringing the trophy to Puerto Rico, asking the Red Sox to fill a plane full of goods it needs to his homeland.
"It goes beyond just the baseball field on this one."
