Alex Cora Has Emotional, Big-Picture Outlook On Father’s Day

Alex Cora, like so many other people who lost their dad at an early age, grew up hating Father’s Day.

Cora was just shy of 13 years old when his father, Jose Manuel Cora, died of colon cancer.

“Early on when I was a kid, I hated this day after I lost my dad,” Cora told reporters at Fenway Park on Sunday afternoon, as seen on NESN’s pregame coverage. “I hated it. It was just like, ‘Why us? Why’s he not with us?’

Cora, however, has since grown to appreciate the day much more.

“Now it’s the other way around,” Cora said. “It’s kind of like you grow up and you learn and you understand what it is. And we feel, we’re blessed. I was blessed to have my dad for 13 years.”

Cora expressed how he consistently thinks about his father, and how his father would feel about what he’s accomplished in his career as both a Major League Baseball player and manager.

“It’s always one of those like ‘What’s he thinking?’ like ‘What we doing?” Cora said. “We always talk about Joey (Cora) and myself being successful. But my two sisters, they’re freaking amazing. They’re the stars of the family. They’ve been very successful at everything they do. And I know from where he is at, he’s very proud.

“There’s certain days I wonder if he’s proud of what I’m doing here or what I’ve done throughout the years. I bet he’d be honest with me. At certain points, very disappointed. But at certain points, very proud of what I’ve accomplished.

“Sometimes I feel like this environment for him, it would be perfect. Baseball, just baseball. The pure aspect of the game at Fenway Park. No music, no make-some-noise stuff. Just the pure aspect of the game, I bet he would love it.”

Cora surely will try to continue to make him proud.