Oftentimes, after MLB managers are ejected, the absolute last thing you'll hear from them is some sort of mea culpa: You know what? Maybe I overreacted.
It just doesn't happen.
But something to that effect occurred following the Red Sox' 4-1 loss to the Houston Astros on Wednesday, during which Boston's manager Alex Cora was ejected in the seventh inning.
Cora's protestations began in the top of the sixth inning with Astros righthander Hunter Brown on the mound. After Brown walked Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran, he was called for a balk. Two batters later, Brown switched from the full windup to the stretch mid at-bat, prompting the Red Sox to object to ultimately no avail.
Alex Cora and the Red Sox bench really wanted Hunter Brown to be called for a balk after switching from the windup to the stretch in the middle of an at bat with a runner on third
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 14, 2025
After some discussion with the umpires, no balk was called pic.twitter.com/7fPHa61r46
An inning later, Cora emerged from the dugout to further discuss the call—or lack thereof—with the umpires, who then ejected him. Cora explained what led him to emerge from the dugout and even surprisingly admitted that the umpires were correct in their ruling.
"First of all, they got it right," Cora said. "They got the call right. The only thing for me is that we've seen that 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.
“First of all, they got it right. They got the call right. … I went out there just to educate myself, to be honest with you. I don’t know if he took it that I was being sarcastic, [but] I wasn’t. … I hate getting thrown out.”
— NESN (@NESN) August 14, 2025
Alex Cora explains tonight’s ejection. pic.twitter.com/fRQmAxeoh6
"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. 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's ejection seemed to stem from a miscommunication with the umpire, as he insisted to reporters after the game that he wasn't trying to get tossed from the contest.
"...I hate getting thrown out," Cora continued. "My job is to be in the dugout and help this team to win games from the dugout. This whole thing about rallying the troops and getting thrown out—that's bull----. My job is to be in the dugout..."
More MLB on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Alex Cora Made Refreshingly Honest Admission About Umpires After Ejection.
