The Boston Red Sox front office fired Alex Cora and other members after they triumphed over the Baltimore Orioles 17-1. With the Red Sox recording a poor 10-17 start to the season, their latest win likely had no impact on the decision. The news made rounds and eventually reached the ears of division-rival manager Aaron Boone of the New York Yankees.

Boone had met Cora just a few days ago, when the Yankees swept the Red Sox at Fenway Park. So, his initial reaction to the news about Cora’s firing was certainly understandable.

“Very shocked,” Boone told the NY Post. “Certainly, surprising and probably caught us off guard. I’ll probably dive into it a little more tonight.”

Boone heard the news just after his Yankees secured an 8-3 win over the Astros, contrasting his team’s success and his friend’s firing even more starkly. Austin Wells hit the go-ahead homer at the top of the seventh to break the tie and give the Yankees a lead. Ryan McMahon’s single scored the winning runs as the Yankees extended their winning streak to eight games. It is their longest winning streak in a single season since June 2024.

Boone, who entered the ninth season as the Yankees’ manager, and Cora have been close friends before they became managers at rival clubs. The two have even worked as analysts at ESPN. The Yankees’ skipper, a longtime friend, predicted that Cora would have more opportunities in the future.

“I have a feeling [Cora] will do whatever he wants,” Boone said, per the NY Post. “He’s a great manager. Smart, talented person that I’m sure will have a lot of opportunities available to him.”

The firing is particularly shocking given Cora’s successful tenure, which started in 2018 alongside Boone. He not only led the Red Sox to a World Series title in his debut season but also secured three postseason appearances in seven years, making the team’s poor start this season a dramatic fall from grace.

With his own team in the middle of an extremely rough stretch, the New York Mets’ manager, Carlos Mendoza, spoke about Cora’s Red Sox exit. “You never know, especially in this business…I have a lot of respect for him, I consider him one of the best managers in the league,” Mendoza said, per SNY.

Although Cora’s firing came at an odd time, the ex-manager appears to have overcome the initial shock.

Alex Cora feels “happy” after being fired

“Happy,” he tweeted a few hours after the news broke. According to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, Cora texted the same response to several Red Sox reporters as well.

Since his firing, Cora has been active on social media, including Instagram. On his IG story, the ex-manager posted a photograph of himself and the fired staff members standing in front of an aircraft, per Chris Cotillo on X. It was the chartered flight that took them back to Boston from Baltimore.

The picture also showed longtime Red Sox figure Jason Varitek, who showed a thumbs down despite a smile on his face. According to Cotillo, Varitek hasn’t taken the news well.

Along with Cora, the Red Sox also fired five members of their coaching staff, including bench coach Ramón Vázquez and hitting coach Peter Fatse. The front office delivered the news in the presence of owner John Henry, team CEO Sam Kennedy, and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow after Cora returned from the post-game dinner. However, Varitek will be reassigned within the organization.

Following the firing saga, CEO Kennedy reportedly stated, “Incredibly difficult day. We’ll discuss more tomorrow. Grateful to Alex for everything he has done for the organization and all the guys. We’re gonna move forward tomorrow.”

Manager of Triple-A Worcester Chad Tracy will take over as the interim manager at the Red Sox, aiming to pull them up from the bottom of the AL East.