Red Sox Manager Alex Cora Explains Reason For Ejection

The Boston Red Sox had a run-in with the umpires on Wednesday night in their 4-1 loss to the Houston Astros.

In the sixth inning, Astros starter Hunter Brown was called for a balk with Jarren Duran on first base. Shortly after, with Duran on third, the Red Sox bench asked for another balk, but the umpires disagreed after some discussion. Brown escaped the inning without allowing a run.

In the top of the seventh inning, the Astros made a pitching change. During the change, Red Sox manager Alex Cora went out for another discussion with the umpires and was ejected as he walked back to his dugout.

After the game, Cora explained why he was ejected.

“We’ve seen the situation before, that guys who have a regular windup and they ask the guys to declare. You don’t have to declare if you have a hybrid windup; that’s when you have to declare, because that way you’re not deceiving the runner. But throughout the last two years, we’ve seen situations that is a regular windup, and they’ve asked the pitcher to declare, that was the only thing,” Cora said. “I went out there to educate myself to be honest with you. That’s what I told him. I want to learn. I don’t know if he took it that I was being sarcastic. I wasn’t. I was walking back, and he threw me out.”

Cora made sure to emphasize that the umpires got the call correct. He also expressed how much he hates being thrown out of games.

“I hate being thrown out. My job is to be in the dugout and help this team to win games from the dugout,” Cora said.

It was Cora’s fifth ejection of the season, which marks a career high for the Red Sox skipper.