Red Sox Manager Could Be Disciplined After Hinting Pitcher Threw At Aaron Judge

The skipper's comments weren't exactly subtle...

Aug 3, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora (13) runs back to the dugout during the sixth inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox should be turning their focus to a do-or-die matchup with the Tampa Bay Rays. Instead, they're still caught up in a controversy stemming from two days ago.

Saturday's rivalry matchup with the New York Yankees was a high-intensity affair. It stemmed from Yankees ace Gerrit Cole's peculiar intentional walk of Red Sox star Rafael Devers in the fourth inning, and spiraled from there.

Because Cole was unwilling to pitch to Devers with the bases empty, the Red Sox seemingly assumed that the hit-by-pitch Cole issued Devers earlier in the game had been intentional. That led to frustration from manager Alex Cora that could have longer-lasting ramifications.

According to Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post, the league office is "reviewing the situation" regarding Cora's comments about the Red Sox throwing intentionally at Yankees star Aaron Judge in Saturday's sixth inning. No decision has been reached as of early evening on Monday.

“It was closed around the sixth inning," Cora said, referring to Bello missing Judge with a sinker that went behind his legs. "We had our chance. It didn’t happen.”

Cora was asked about whether the incident was over, so it's not as though he admitted to throwing at a batter out of nowhere. But he also likely could have avoided the subject becoming a hot-topic issue days later, especially given that Judge himself seemed to be unfazed by the incident too.

"I think they’re just protecting their players," Judge said Saturday. "Something’s gotta happen. That’s the way this game gets policed and has been policed for 100 years... I think the biggest thing is, just don’t miss when you do it.”

Any punishment Cora earns is unlikely to impact the Red Sox's playoff chances because, well... those chances are rather minimal at this point. With a 4 1/2-game deficit to erase in the span of 12 games played, they'd need to somehow become the hottest team in baseball out of nowhere.

But it's never wise to give the league office an obvious target, and Cora seems to have painted one right on his own back. The Red Sox players surely appreciate that their manager has their back, but they'd also like him to be in the dugout when the season is on the line.

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