Cora argued a missed strike call
The Boston Red Sox dropped a chaotic extra-innings loss to the Colorado Rockies on Monday night.
Manager Alex Cora watched the end of the game from the clubhouse after being ejected in between the 11th and 12th innings for arguing calls with home plate umpire Mark Wegner.
It all began in the seventh when the Red Sox thought Josh Winckowski had struck out Jacob Stallings with a sinker that painted the plate. Wegner called the pitch a ball, and Stallings made Boston pay with a double to right on the next pitch. The Rockies took the 5-4 lead into the eighth inning.
“We didn’t agree with the 2-2 pitch to Stallings, and there was a lot of back and forth,” Cora told reporters postgame, as seen on NESN. “(The umpires) have the toughest job in baseball. They do. He was right (to eject me). Mark was like, ‘I’m not perfect. I’m giving my best.’
“We all are. But, thought it was strike three, and then the double. They got the lead, and I felt there was a pitch missed in the previous inning, and he did what he’s supposed to do. You argue balls and strikes; you’re gonna get thrown out.”
It was the second ejection for Cora this season and the 16th of his career.
The Red Sox tied the game when Connor Wong launched his ninth long ball of the season in the eighth.
After a scoreless ninth, Boston and Colorado both knocked in a pair of runs in the 10th inning to keep the game from ending.
The Rockies outlasted the Red Sox with a pair of runs in the bottom of the 12th inning and Boston its fourth straight loss since the All-Star break.
The Red Sox will look to get back into the win column on Tuesday night in the middle game against the Rockies. First pitch from Coors Field is scheduled for 8:40 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game on NESN following an hour of pregame coverage.