Red Sox Legend Describes ‘Stunned’ Reaction To Alex Cora Firing originally appeared on NESN.
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Terry Francona and Alex Cora both know how it feels to get fired by the Boston Red Sox.
Francona, who managed Cora in Boston, was let go after the Red Sox’s historic September collapse in 2011. Fifteen years later, Cora had the inverse experience, getting fired amid a historically bad start.
When Francona, who now manages the Cincinnati Reds, first heard the news, he couldn’t believe it.
“My first thought was it wasn’t true… I was stunned that it happened,” Francona said on Buster Olney’s podcast. “What made it more stunning, I thought, was the timing of everything and replacing five guys on a Major League staff. That’s hard to do.”
On the podcast, https://t.co/qf21XHuT5v Terry Francona talked about his initial reaction when he heard that Alex Cora had been fired. pic.twitter.com/qrDaTPSfWt
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) May 5, 2026
Francona also described the pressure of managing in Boston and the city’s constant need for a scapegoat when things go wrong.
“Boston’s a place where somebody has to be at fault,” Francona said, adding that other markets like Cleveland and Cincinnati are different. “There’s so much passion.”
Francona shared some praise for Cora, too, which means a lot coming from a future Hall of Fame manager.
“He’s sharp. He’s energetic,” Francona continued. “To do well up there, you’d better be ahead of the game, and you have to have a ton of energy, and he had all of that. He didn’t miss anything during the game… He sees it really well. And if he wants to continue to do this, my guess is he’ll be good for a long time.”
Time will tell if Cora decides to manage somewhere else or pivot into a different job, but if he stays in the dugout, his next team will be in good hands.
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