Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said something he probably shouldn’t have said to reporters Sunday, And it’s now resulted in an MLB investigation.
The New York Post reports MLB is investigating Cora over his comment hinting the Red Sox threw at New York Yankees star Aaron Judge in Saturday’s game.
BoSox reliever Brayan Bello threw a pitch behind Judge in the sixth inning. Earlier in the game, Yankees starter Gerrit Cole had hit Boston third baseman Rafael Devers with a pitch. He later walked Devers intentionally with the bases empty, indicating he did not want to face the Red Sox star.
Cora said before Sunday’s game he thought the issue was “closed” and there was no bad blood between the two teams from that game.
“It was closed [Saturday] around the sixth inning,” Cora said (via The Post). “We had our chance. It didn’t happen.”
Alex Cora basically admitted that Brayan Bello tried plunking Aaron Judge on purpose. He was asked if he considered yesterday’s IBB/HBP fiasco closed:
“It was closed yesterday around the sixth inning. We had our chance. It didn’t happen.” pic.twitter.com/x1z4iA0HfF
— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) September 15, 2024
Cora’s implication that Boston tried to hit Judge didn’t bother the Yankees slugger, who pointed out that if a player on one team gets hit by a pitch, there might be retaliation.
“That’s the way this game kinda gets policed, and has been policed, for over 100 years,” he said.
“They’re just protecting their players… I think the biggest thing is just don’t miss when you do it.”
Aaron Judge reacts to Alex Cora’s implications that the Red Sox threw at him during Saturday’s game. pic.twitter.com/7CAdQb3Pdg
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) September 15, 2024
It’s the second time in a week that an offhand remark to reporters by a player or coach has led to a league investigation. After San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason starred in the team’s win last Monday night, he hinted he’d known since Friday he would be starting. That contradicted the team’s official injury designation of running back Christian McCaffrey as “questionable” leading right up to game time.
An NFL investigation cleared the 49ers of wrongdoing in that matter, although NBC Sports NFL insider Mike Florio opined that the league “wasn’t looking very hard” at the situation.
