Manager Alex Cora Moves Up on Boston Red Sox All-Time Wins Leaderboards

Alex Cora notched his 490th win as the Boston Red Sox's manager on Tuesday night, passing Bill Carrigan for sole possession of fourth-most in franchise history.

Jun 24, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora (13) makes a pitching change during the seventh inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. / Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports

Amid the Boston Red Sox's 12-9 win over the Oakland Athletics on Tuesday night, manager Alex Cora achieved a major feat.

Cora has now won 490 games since taking over as the Red Sox's manager in 2018. He was suspended for the 2020 season for his role in the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal, but he returned in 2021 and has held down the fort in Boston ever since.

For his career, the 48-year-old Cora is 490-410.

As noted by to team official JP Long, Cora now ranks fourth all-time in wins as the Red Sox's manager. He was previously tied with Bill Carrigan, who was a player-manager from 1913 to 1916 and exclusively a manager from 1927 to 1929.

Joe Cronin owns the franchise record with 1,071 wins, followed by Terry Francona and his 744 wins.

This was Alex Cora’s 490th win as Red Sox manager, passing Bill Carrigan for 4th most in franchise history:
 
Joe Cronin 1,071
Terry Francona 744
Mike Higgins 560
ALEX CORA 490
Bill Carrigan 489

— J.P. Long (@SoxNotes) July 10, 2024

When Cora wins his 500th game later this season, he will become the 142nd major league manager ever to reach that mark. There are currently 12 active managers who have already achieved that milestone.

Cora is 70 wins away from tying Mike Higgins for third-most in Red Sox history. For as hot as Boston has been as of late, winning 70 of their final 72 games this season seems a little rich, even for them.

While he would certainly pass Higgins in 2025, Cora's contract does not extend past this season. Managers rarely work on expiring deals, leading to much speculation about Cora's future in Boston.

On top of that, Cora has spoken at length about how he does not want to be coaching 10 years from now, so matching Francona seems unlikely as well.

Cora led the Red Sox to a division title and a World Series championship in 2018. Outside of an ALCS appearance in 2021, though, Boston has yet to enjoy much success since of that title run early on in Cora's tenure.

The Red Sox finished dead-last in the AL East in both 2022 and 2023, which put Cora on the hot seat entering 2024. It looked as if the team was about to falter again, but a league-best record since mid-June has Boston standing at 50-40 near the season's midpoint.

Should Cora lead Boston back to the postseason, he could re-up with the club and continue to move up the leaderboards, as he has been doing for six years now.

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