Alex Cora reveals why he won’t ask umps to check for banned substances

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora explained why he won’t ask umps to go out and check pitchers for banned substances. 

So far this week, the big-time focus has been on umpires checking pitchers for foreign substances. New York Mets star Jacob deGrom had a laugh about things, while Washington Nationals hurler Max Scherzer couldn’t have been more furious.

If you ask Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora about it, though, he is just going to let the umps do their thing. That’s right, Cora won’t be asking umps to check for foreign substances, as he thinks his past doesn’t give him the right to do so.

Alex Cora doesn’t plan to ask umps to check pitchers for banned substances

As big of a hater as you might be of Cora and the Red Sox, it’s tough not to respect his answer here. He know he messed up while with the Houston Astros. His rough past has led to his reputation taking a hit, while he was fired by Boston in January of 2020 for his role in sign-stealing scandals.

After a year away from the game, he’s back with Boston this year and has the club in the hunt to once again win the AL East. At the same time, Cora knows that he’s got a bit of a target on his back. Because of this, he doesn’t want to make things worse for himself by having pitchers checked.

If push comes to shove, though, he did say he’d have to step up and do what’s in the best interest of the club. However, don’t expect him to pull a Joe Girardo (who asked for Scherzer to be checked) any time in the near future. Cora knows that’d be a bad look for him.