Going into the season, the Red Sox were widely expected to be a strong team. If you remember Opening Day predictions, The Herald predicted they’d win at least 90 games and take the AL East, while MLB.com picked the Red Sox to win both the division and the AL pennant. And why not? With stars like Garrett Crochet and Alex Bregman on the roster, the Red Sox were never really considered underdogs. But after clinching a postseason spot, manager Alex Cora had a different take.

His champagne-soaked message has left fans buzzing and wondering what he really meant. No, he doesn’t agree that the Red Sox were predicted to be the winner and not the underdog. “Nobody thought we were going to make it to October. Whoever says that, ‘Yeah, we were a playoff team,’ that’s f–king bulls–t, to be honest with you. It was New York, it was Baltimore, it was Toronto. And we believed we were going to play in October, and we hit our standards,” Jomboy Media cited the fiery speech by Cora.

Yes, the Red Sox have had limited success in the postseason recently. After two seasons below .500, the Red Sox came into this year with modest expectations. But they’ve turned things around, sitting at 88-73 and safely clinching a wild card spot.

It is also true that while most projections had Boston finishing above .500 anyway, only ESPN predicted a ninth-place finish in the league and an 84-78 record. So, they’ve outperformed expectations by a few wins and can relax about their playoff position heading into the final weekend. Still, fans are a bit puzzled by Cora’s underdog messaging, given that the team is loaded with star talent.

The Red Sox manager surely rubbed the wrong noses

In MLB, be it the star veterans or managers, the problem with the 2017 Astros batch is that wherever they go and achieve, their infamous 2017 cheating scandal refuses to leave. The same goes for Cora, as he was the bench coach of the Astros at that time. “Cora cheated in 2017,” one fan remarked. “Guys, a serial cheat. Cheated in Boston, cheated in Houston. Should even be in the league,” added another.

According to these fans, if the Red Sox were not believed at the start of this year, it’s because of Cora’s Astros history. Remember earlier this season when Red Sox first base coach Jose Flores got caught up in that pregame dust-up with Angels pitcher Tyler Anderson? It was reportedly over sign-stealing. So, the Red Sox are facing sign-stealing accusations again, this time under Alex Cora’s watch. So yes, fans are drawing on Cora’s controversial past and wondering if history might be repeating itself. But so far, it’s all just speculation with no hard evidence. “Creating fake narratives,” added another.

Fans are also wondering about how the Orioles were predicted to be the winner this season, as said by Cora. “Baltimore? Buddy has been below .500 since the season started,” one user shared his surprise. “Baltimore has been bad all year due to injuries and sold players at the deadline. Cora is consistent, tho,” added another.

Well, if you were expecting the Orioles to make some noise this season, it hasn’t turned out that way. Instead, it’s the Yankees and Blue Jays duking it out for the AL East crown heading into the final weekend of September. The O’s, meanwhile, are 75-86 and locked into last place, with their offseason starting Monday. So, whether it was bad trades or injuries, they just never managed to get over .500 all year.

Now, you would understand why fans were caught off guard when Cora brought up the Orioles as if they were the preseason favorites to win the division. Now that the Red Sox are on their October journey, let’s see how the fiery speech by Cora works out.