It’s hard for me to get overly upset about Alex Cora’s sudden ouster this afternoon. This is a man who returned to the team after a one-year suspension for cheating, after all, which is a very weird thing to have happened. We were always on borrowed time, and for a good amount of that time, Cora wielded considerable power in the organization. This made him very important.

He is not important anymore. He’ s gone, along with Jason Varitek and several others. It’s a full reset at the top for a team resting at the bottom. You get the feeling that the organization had several contingencies for how this season could play out, and chose the “obviously sucks ass in April” option of a total reset rather than let it get any further. I can’t say I care too much either way or expect it to meaningfully affect the team’s performance. They do in fact stink.

From a 30K-foot-view, or just one in the mirror, the Red Sox need to move on from the 2018 team’s ethos forever, and getting rid of Cora is the last link in that now-diminished chain. He was only thing tying the franchise to their golden era and made us look bad just by showing up. Now that Red Sox aren’t trying to win a World Series for sure, it’s an honest question whether Cora is the right guy for that assignment, or if he even wanted tio be. Neither of the answers truly matter, but I can’t imagine he’s too broken up about it.

Point-blank, it was time for everyone to move on. And to be clear… that sucks. As the last guy standing who physically represented the singularly great 2018 title, Cora’s continued presence served as a bridge to the decreasingly recent past when the team aimed high and hit their goal, and then some, not just as the best in the league but as one of the best teams ever. John Henry tore it apart after that. This was just cutting the last string to that era. The Red Sox are dead; long live the Red Sox. Just don’t get your hopes up.

Alex Cora, who never traded Mookie Betts, did not lowball Alex Bregman and won a World Series championship as Boston Red Sox manager, was fired by the team on Saturday, April 25, the club announced.

Chad Tracy, the manager at Class AAA Worcester, will serve as interim manager.

Cora, 50, was 620-541 in eight seasons as Red Sox manager, sitting out one season in 2020 due to his role as bench coach during the Houston Astros‘ sign-stealing scandal. He led the club to 108 victories and then the World Series title in his first season in 2018, and in 2024, his contract was extended through 2027.

Yet even after Saturday’s 17-1 victory at Baltimore, the Red Sox are off to a 10-17 start, although most of their woes can be tied to an anemic offense that lost Bregman to free agency, traded slugger Rafael Devers one year ago and is trying to make do with rookies like second baseman Marcelo Mayer and 5-foot-6 third baseman Caleb Durbin.

Alas, Cora, hitting coach Peter Fatse, third base coach Kyle Hudson, bench coach Ramón Vázquez, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson, and Major League hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin were let go. Game planning coach Jason Varitek, a two-time World Series champion as a catcher, has been reassigned in the organization.

“Alex Cora led this organization to one of the greatest seasons in Red Sox history in 2018, and for that, and the many years that followed, he will always have our deepest gratitude,” said Red Sox principal owner John Henry. “He has had a lasting impact on this team and on this city. He has led on and off the field in so many important ways. These decisions are never easy, but this one is especially difficult given what Alex has meant to the Red Sox since the day he arrived.

“I want to thank Alex, our coaches, and their families for everything they have given to this organization. They have been part of this club in a way that goes beyond the field, and they will always have our respect and gratitude.”

It marked the end of a Boston tenure that was at times tumultuous – almost redundant in Beantown – but also marked by the significant job security Cora enjoyed. The 2018 World Series champions were constructed by GM Dave Dombrowski, who was let go after the 2019 season in favor of a more “sustainable” approach.

His replacement, Chaim Bloom, set the Red Sox on a startlingly cost-containment course under owner John Henry and the Fenway Sports Group, an era jump-started by the stunning February 2020 trade of 2018 MVP Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Betts has since won three World Series titles in L.A.; Cora was reinstated as manager after his 2020 sign-stealing sabbatical to get the Red Sox to the 2021 ALCS, but Bloom was fired in September 2023.

Enter current president of baseball operations Craig Breslow, who dislodged dozens of longtime employees while taking the “sustainability” torch from Bloom. After another playoff-less season in 2024, Breslow got aggressive, trading for current ace Garrett Whitlock and signing Bregman to a $40 million annual deal with opt outs after two years.

Cora guided the club to a 2025 wild card berth where they lost a three-game set to New York at Yankee Stadium. Yet Bregman opted out of his deal and was not replaced, and the tumult his signing instigated – the alienation of franchise player Rafael Devers and Devers’ subsequent trade to San Francisco in June 2025 – left the team minus Bregman and Devers in 2026, leaving behind a lineup with too many holes.

That was exacerbated with a back injury to leadoff hitter and second-year star Roman Anthony. Seven of the nine members of Boston’s Saturday lineup had adjusted OPSes significantly lower than league average, leaving young players like Mayer to adjust to the majors for a team that entered Saturday last in the majors in home runs.

“All that I care about is that W at the end of the day, making the playoffs and winning the World Series,” Mayer told USA TODAY Sports on April 25. “If we’re not doing that, it’s not good. Everyone here wants to hold each other accountable and win baseball games and we haven’t been doing that, so there’s work that needs to be done.”

And despite the seemingly overmatched roster, it will be Cora who will take the fall, and not the baseball operations side. He did go out with a bang, as the club scored 10 ninth-inning runs in beating Baltimore 17-1.

The win came one night after the Orioles socked six home runs in a 10-3 victory. Asked to explain the turnaround, Cora chuckled and said, “It’s (expletive) baseball, man.”

And a well-decorated career in Boston suffered a similar twist that would have been unforeseen just weeks ago.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Alex Cora fired by Boston Red Sox after 10-17 start to 2026 season

I have no idea whether this was a good game or not. It was a game in which Bryan Woo gave up four home runs for just the second time in his career; it was a game in which Dominic Canzone and Connor Joe both had pinch-hitting game-tying RBI hits. It was a game in which Cooper Criswell struck out three; it was a game in which Cooper Criswell surrendered a go-ahead home run to a guy who’d only hit 27 home runs over 1,685 professional PAs. It was a game in which Josh Naylor stole two bases; it was a game in which Jordan Walker was caught stealing and grounded into a double play. Truly the best of times and the worst of times.

We begin at the beginning, with Julio hitting a two-run home run in the top of the first, going all the way to the upper deck. Personally, I think this was the most majestic Julio home run since the final game in Kansas City in 2023. Any others come to mind?

That 2-0 start to the game felt pretty good knowing that Bryan Woo was taking the mound, but the good feelings were short-lived as Woo opened his outing with back-to-back home runs, his first and second dingers of the year. But those bad vibes were quickly eradicated by Mitch Garver picking up an infield hit and scoring on Will Wilson’s first big-league home run, coming in his first at-bat as a Mariner. And back and forth it went the entire game.

Was Woo bad or do we just shake it off? Let’s be real here, four home runs is a lot. And he was genuinely missing middle-middle pretty regularly—this wasn’t some Chicago wind storm or something. But on the other hand, you can’t get too worked up about an off day from a guy who’s had so much consistency that he literally holds the franchise record for most consecutive 6 inning games to open a season. All I know for sure is that, for today, pulling him after three innings was the correct move.

For the offense, I don’t know that I’d make that much of it, considering how exhausted the Cardinals pitchers looked. Starter Matthew Liberatore didn’t make it through four innings either, and the red birds ultimately had to use seven relievers today, three of whom were working for the second day in a row, and their best reliever had to toss 39 pitches.

Overall, the 33 combined hits this afternoon ties the MLB record for a nine-inning game, tying a 1932 contest between Cleveland and the Philadelphia Athletics. This was by definition an outlier.

Still, while the rational part of your brain chalks this up to an oddball out of 162, the id can’t help but be excited by seeing all those balls find grass or bleacher seats. The Mariners’ 19 hits helped raise their team wRC+ from 16th in MLB before the game to 9th afterwards. 

Two of the biggest contributors helped re-spark the offense right as the game felt like it was settling down in the seventh inning with the score 9-7. The typically light-hitting Mitch Garver, who’d already supplemented his infield hit with a should-have-been home run that was robbed, ended up getting his second hit of the day by clanking one off the third baseman’s glove. Cole Young, who’s not supposed to hit lefties but had taken one deep earlier in the game and just missed another big fly (instead settling for a double off the wall in the deepest part of the park) got his third hit of the day with a laser up the middle.

The online Mariners fandom then lost their minds at a sequence in which Leo Rivas bunted and then Dan Wilson brought in his fourth sub of the game, asking Connor Joe to pinch hit for Luke Raley. The Cardinals predictably countered by bringing in a righty of their own. Aaron Goldsmith barely concealed the skepticism in his tone when he took us to break with, “The Mariners would apparently prefer Connor Joe against Riley O’Brien to Luke Raley against JoJo Romero.”

I tend to think the peanut gallery is overblowing their hatred of Dan’s pinch-hit decisions (and also putting way too much blame on the manager when the strategy comes from a consensus among the whole Baseball Ops team). And yet, this particular call is hard to defend—bringing in a worse hitter to face a better pitcher is almost never the high-percentage move. But today’s game being what it was, of course it worked out anyway as Joe hit a 108-mph single the other way, tying the game at 9-9.

For as rough a day as Bryan Woo and the entire Cardinals pitching staff had, the Mariners’ bullpen actually held things together pretty well. The relief corps covered six innings with just 91 pitches and only needing four guys to do it. Aside from the home run off Criswell, they barely allowed a scratch. So the 9-9 tie held to go into the ninth.

This is where things got weird again.

J.P. Crawford caught the defense sleeping by squaring to bunt with the bases empty for just the ninth time in his career. Garver walked to reach for the third time. Between reaching three times, having a home run robbed, and catching Jordan Walker stealing, Garver gets his first-ever Sun Hat Award. Cole Young fought a nine-pitch battle only to take one off the foot, loading the bases for . . . Leo Rivas.

As predicted (by some), Little Leo has suffered from over-exposed-itis this season, coming into the game with a .224 wOBA that felt even worse than that. But he’s got a knack against these Cardinals, having walked them off in the 13th last September to complete a sweep and inspiring what’s probably the best call of Goldy’s career. Facing a guy who throws 100 and has been one of the best relievers of the year, Rivas did it again, hitting a line drive into center field to take the lead at 11-9. So look, it didn’t make a lot of sense and I don’t know if the game was good or bad, but it sure ended good.

The Boston Red Sox have seen enough.

After a 10-17 start to the season, the club fired manager Alex Cora and five other members of the coaching staff, it announced Saturday. Chad Tracy, manager of the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox, will take over as interim manager.

The other five coaches to be shown the door: hitting coach Peter Fatse, third base coach Kyle Hudson, bench coach Ramón Vázquez, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson and major league hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin.

Game planning and run prevention coach Jason Varitek was also reportedly relieved of his duties but has been reassigned to a new role within the organization, which is likely a reflection of his standing as a former Red Sox captain and two-time World Series champ as a player.

Red Sox owner John Henry praised Cora in a statement:

“Alex Cora led this organization to one of the greatest seasons in Red Sox history in 2018, and for that, and the many years that followed, he will always have our deepest gratitude,” said Red Sox principal owner John Henry. “He has had a lasting impact on this team and on this city. He has led on and off the field in so many important ways. These decisions are never easy, but this one is especially difficult given what Alex has meant to the Red Sox since the day he arrived.

“I want to thank Alex, our coaches, and their families for everything they have given to this organization. They have been part of this club in a way that goes beyond the field, and they will always have our respect and gratitude.”

Cora was partway through his eighth season in charge of the Red Sox, split into two different stints. He had been in the second year of a three-year, $21.75 million extension, of which he is still reportedly owed $13.54 million.

The 2026 Red Sox have been one of MLB’s many disappointing teams

The Red Sox entered this season with World Series aspirations, but the wheels came off quickly, with losses in eight of their first 10 games. Even with a lopsided 17-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday, they still sit in last place in the AL East at 10-17 and 7.5 games back from the first-place New York Yankees.

There have definitely been worse teams in MLB this season, but what has particularly sunk Boston is underperformance from their most important players.

Ace Garrett Crochet has a 7.88 ERA through five starts. Brayan Bello has a 9.00 ERA through five starts. Roman Anthony has a .686 OPS and is currently dealing with a back injury after an outstanding rookie campaign. Trevor Story, Marcelo Mayer, Ceddanne Rafaela and Jarren Duran all have even worse marks.

All of that wound up being too much for Cora et al to survive. Even with a World Series title on Cora’s ledger.

Alex Cora has had quite a history with the Red Sox

Saturday’s decision ends Cora’s second tenure in Boston.

His first tenure lasted only two years, but saw him win the 2018 World Series as a rookie manager. That 2018 team remains one of the best in recent MLB history, with a 108-54 record in the regular season and only three losses total in the playoffs, which included a five-game win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Fall Classic.

By the end of the next season, Cora seemed entrenched as one of MLB’s top managers and even signed an extension. Then came the Houston Astros’ cheating scandal.

It turned out Cora was one of the central figures in the 2017 Astros’ illegal sign-stealing scheme, having previously served as bench coach in Houston. He was one of three men suspended a full season by MLB in the aftermath, along with Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch. There was also Boston’s own sign-stealing scandal from that 2018 team, which led to far fewer consequences.

The Red Sox opted to fire Cora after the suspension hit, but then rehired him after the 2020 season.

His first year back went well enough, winning 92 games and falling to the Astros in the 2021 ALCS, but Boston hasn’t won a playoff series or finished higher than third in the AL East since then. They did make the playoffs last year, but a three-game loss to the New York Yankees might have hurt worse than not making it at all.

What’s going on with the Red Sox?

There’s no denying something is off with the Red Sox these days, and it’s probably not just because of Cora. They have more World Series titles than any MLB team in the 21st century, but the act of firing a manager and half the coaching staff in late April screams of a team that had no idea what to make of itself entering 2026.

And that’s saying nothing about what happened with Rafael Devers last year.

If the Red Sox thought Cora was the right guy to lead a contender, as he’s done in the past, 27 games is a very quick trigger. If they weren’t confident and this start only confirmed their worries, it’s a wonder why they kept him at all.

There are still five months left in the season, and it’s certainly possible Tracy engineers a turnaround. However, an organization-wide lame duck year also feels just as possible.

The Cleveland Cavaliers stumbled in their first playoff game on the road. They’ll get another chance to take care of business and head back home with a 3-1 series lead over the Toronto Raptors.

To do that, they’ll have to look much better than they did in Game 3.

The Cavs were thoroughly outplayed for 48 minutes on Thursday. Toronto owned them in the paint, turned them over at a high rate, and lit them up from behind the three-point line when the game mattered most. A 20-point thrashing in the fourth quarter made the final score look as bad as the rest of the game felt.

How do the Cavs fix this?

Shifting Cleveland’s focus back to the paint is a good start. Of course, they have to take care of the ball and limit quality three-point attempts for their opponent, but just getting their own shot diet back on track is a non-negotiable. The Cavs took 45 three-point attempts in Game 3 but only 36 two-pointers. That’s playing with fire.

I’m hoping to see the Cavs work harder to break Toronto’s shell and score in the paint. James Harden and Donovan Mitchell, specifically, have to be better at generating looks inside. They can’t afford another cold shooting night from downtown. Diversifying their shot chart is a more sustainable way to win.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (2-1) at Toronto Raptors (1-2)

Where: Scotiabank Arena – Toronto, ON

When: Sun., April 26 at 1 PM

TV: ESPN

Point spread: Cavs -3.5

Cavs injury report: None

Raptors injury report: Immanuel Quickley – OUT (hamstring), A.J. Lawson – QUESTIONABLE (back spasms)

Cavs expectedstarting lineup: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Raptors expected starting lineup: Jakobe Walter, RJ Barrett, Brandon Ingram, Scottie Barnes, Collin Murray-Boyles

Previous matchup:

Here’s a look at both teams’ regular-season impact stats via Cleaning the Glass.

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun just wrapped up his second consecutive All-Star campaign, with averages of 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 51.9 percent from the field, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks per contest. Sengun also racked up 34 double-doubles, which tied Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic for ninth-most in the NBA.

Sengun and the Rockets drew a favorable first-round postseason matchup against the aforementioned Lakers, due to injuries to Doncic and Lakers guard Austin Reaves but it hasn’t quite materialized into a favorable outcome thus far. The Rockets are down 0-3 and face a grim but realistic possibility of getting swept.

On their home floor, at that. Sengun hasn’t exactly been consistent throughout the series, averaging 19.5 points on 15-of-39 shooting from the floor (38.5 percent) through the first two games of the series. Game 3, however, saw a much different Sengun.

He was aggressive and did all he could to will this Rockets ball club to victory. Well, outside of long-range shooting, as he went just 1-of-5 from 3-point land, but that shouldn’t be a surprise.

All told, Sengun had 33 points, 16 rebounds (5 offensive), 6 assists, 3 steals and a block, in 47 minutes of action. This was the version of Sengun that was expected from the start of the season.

Several hours before tip-off of Game 3, a report surfaced from Will Guillory of The Athletic, stating that Sengun could very well be moved this summer, if the Rockets find themselves eliminated early in the postseason in a disappointing fashion (like they have).

According to Guillory, Sengun could be moved for a player like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, or Donovan Mitchell. The Rockets were linked to Antetokounmpo earlier in the season, so it’s not surprising to see his name again.

It’ll be interesting to see what else the Rockets do this offseason, from a roster construction standpoint, because adding another superstar will force the team to surrender roster depth and leave the Rockets compromised, as it pertains to replacing that depth.