Alex Cora Gets The Boot For Sharing His Thoughts On Lance Barrett's Strike Zone
BOSTON (CBS) -- Alex Cora's return to Houston wasn't a very pleasant one, with the Red Sox losing the first three games of their four-game series. He won't be around to see the final outcome of the fourth and final game.
With the Red Sox leading the Astros 3-0 in the top of the sixth, Cora decided that he had seen enough of Lance Barrett's strike zone. After Kevin Plawecki was rung up looking at a low strike three, Cora came out and gave the umpire a piece of his mind.
It was a pretty animated and one-sided conversation, and Cora got his money's worth.
Thoughts on the strike zone pic.twitter.com/1bJR9X3khm
— Red Sox Stats (@redsoxstats) June 3, 2021
The Sox skipper was likely still miffed about a pair of much more questionable strike calls in the fifth inning, a frame that ended with the Red Sox coming up empty in a bases loaded situation. Xander Bogaerts struck out looking on a low fastball with two on and no outs, and after the Sox loaded the bases, Hunter Renfroe also went down looking at a low strike for the inning's second out. Christian Arroyo struck out swinging at three pitches to end the inning -- and Boston's scoring threat.
Thursday marks the second time that Cora has been ejected this season. He was also given the heave-ho back on April 15, when umpires ruled that Ryan Jeffers foul-tipped a strike three that he very clearly did not make any contact with late in a Boston loss to the Minnesota Twins.