After the Philadelphia Phillies fired manager Rob Thomson, the club offered the job to Alex Cora, but the former Boston Red Sox manager declined the gig, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
The Red Sox dumped Cora on Saturday, April 25, after the club got off to a 10-17 start. Boston replaced him with Chad Tracy, who had just 499 games of managerial experience, all in the minors. Tracy has won both games at the helm. Cora seemed undeterred by the move, based on his response on X.
Phillies president of baseball operations is known to have an affinity for Cora. Back when he was running the Red Sox, Dombrowski tabbed Cora as the manager in 2018. Boston went on to win the World Series that year. Cora’s first stint with the team only ended because he got caught up in the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal. The relationship led to persistent rumors that Cora was next in line for the Phillies job, even before Thomson was relieved of his duties.
Philadelphia Phillies Whiff on Alex Cora, Settle for Don Mattingly
Cora passed on the Phillies’ job to spend time with his family, per Nightengale. The skipper has had a lead job for eight of the past nine seasons. He took a sabbatical in 2020, though it wasn’t really his choice. The league suspended him that year after he was implicated in the trash can banging in Houston. Boston was undeterred by the punishment, re-hiring Cora the following season.
Boston went 620-541 with Cora calling the shots. He brought the organization its ninth World Series championship in 2018. The team scuffled a bit the following year, posting an 84-78 record and missing the playoffs. Cora got the Red Sox back on track when he returned for the 2021 season. The club won 92 games and made it back to the postseason. Boston snuck by the New York Yankees in the Wild Card round, then beat another AL East squad in the American League Divisional Series, taking three of four from the Tampa Bay Rays. Houston would end Boston’s season in the American League Championship Series.
The Red Sox have been largely irrelevant for the past five years. Cora’s squads ended up below .500 in 2022 and 2023, earning last-place finishes in the competitive AL East. Boston went an even 81-81 in 2024, missing the playoffs. The squad finally got back to the postseason last year. The Red Sox won 89 games to clinch a Wild Card bid. The Yankees bounced them in the three-game set.
Don Mattingly Takes Over in Philadelphia
With Cora refusing the job, the Phillies will turn to Don Mattingly. The former New York Yankees great struggled in his most recent stint as a manager. Mattingly took over as the Miami Marlins skipper in 2016. The club had a losing record in every full season under Mattingly. Miami’s lone winning season came in the shortened 2020 campaign. Mattingly earned NL Manager of the Year honors that season.
Mattingly most recently served as a bench coach with the Toronto Blue Jays. He came over to the Phillies this year in a similar capacity. Philadelphia is currently tied for the worst record in the league at 9-19.
Phillies Spurned By Alex Cora After Rob Thomson Firing