Alex Cora Shares Funny Dustin Pedroia Story In Spring Training Routine

Before Dustin Pedroia took over the sport as the American League Rookie of the Year in 2007, the Boston Red Sox had a veteran start the season at second base.

That veteran was Alex Cora.

Pedroia struggled to begin his first full season, leaving the door open for Cora to hold down the position in the early weeks of the season.

The current Red Sox manager reflected on that time while discussing spring training meetings with players and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. These meetings are standard to start camp, just as Cora had with manager Terry Francona and general manager Theo Epstein in 2007.

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“I remember having my meeting with Theo and Tito in 2007,” Cora told reporters in Ft. Myers on Friday, per team-provided video. “It’s something that every organization does.”

Thinking back to what was said when outlining the veteran’s role of the season, Cora joked about the perfect plan.

“They basically said, ‘You’re going to crush. You’re going to hit. Then, Pedroia is going to take over and you guys are going to win the World Series,'” Cora added.

All jokes aside, Cora did just that, hitting .316 through the end of May. That’s when Pedroia started to heat up and took over as the everyday second baseman. The rookie proceeded to hit .317 with a .823 OPS in an award-winning campaign. Pedroia also stepped up in the postseason with a massive day at the plate in Game 7 of the ALCS before launching a leadoff home run in Game 1 of the World Series.

The Red Sox won their first World Series with Cora and Pedroia in the same dugout. 11 years later, Pedroia sat next to Cora, who managed the 2018 Red Sox to Boston’s fourth championship in 15 years.

The bond between the two infielders lives on and still gets a smile out of Cora 17 years later.

With several young players looking to prove themselves, Cora looks to mentor another youth wave as he did with Pedroia for the Red Sox in 2007.