Alex Cora Criticizes Umpire While Discussing Crucial Overturned Call

Red Sox manager Alex Cora was forced to watch the end of Sunday’s game from the cafeteria after being ejected for arguing balls and strikes in the sixth inning against the New York Yankees.

But the change of scenery at Yankee Stadium didn’t impact Cora’s view of a game-altering play in the eighth inning.

“From the get-go I thought (Isaiah Kiner-Falefa) he was out,” Cora told reporters after Boston’s series-sweeping 6-5 victory, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage.

The play Cora referenced took place in the eighth with the score tied 5-all. Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe stroked a base hit into left field and Red Sox outfielder Rob Refsnyder initially fielded the hard-hit ground ball. However, when Refsynder lost his footing in the left-field grass, New York’s Isaiah Kiner-Falefa was waved home in an attempt to score the leading run.

Kiner-Falefa initially was deemed safe by Junior Valentine, the home plate umpire seemingly believing Kiner-Falefa got under Connor Wong’s tag at the plate. However, after the Red Sox challenged the ruling, replay officials overturned Valentine’s call. It was confirmed cutoff man Trevor Story hit Wong, who applied the tag on Kiner-Falefa while not blocking the base path.

Cora was confused by Valentine’s ruling.

“I was wondering why Junior was waiting. Like, he waited, waited, waited to look at the baseball. And then he calls him safe. I was like, ‘What is he doing?’ There was a lot of stuff I didn’t agree with Junior today, besides the strike zone.

“That play — why wait? Either he’s (Kiner-Falefa) safe from the get-go or if you’re waiting to see if he (Wong) still has the baseball, then he’s out,” Cora continued. “We knew he was out from the get-go.”

Fortunately for Cora and company, Valentine’s eighth-inning ruling and inconsistent strike zone didn’t impact the Red Sox. Boston instead earned the sweep after Justin Turner’s four-RBI game and some other dramatics along the way.