Red Sox: Alex Cora mourns death of former teammate Julio Lugo

Red Sox manager Alex Cora mourns death of former teammate and friend Julio Lugo.

The baseball world was stunned by the news on Monday afternoon of former Boston Red Sox shortstop and World Series champion Julio Lugo passing away.

Many took to social media to honor Lugo and send well wishes to the family, including the Red Sox and Lugo’s former teammate and now Red Sox manager, Alex Cora.

The family confirmed shortly after the report that Lugo suffered a fatal heart attack a day before what would have been his 46th birthday.

Lugo had a 12-year career in the major leagues. He played for the Red Sox, Rays, Astros, Dodgers, Braves, Orioles, and Cardinals. Although the end of his career was more of a journey through the league on short-term deals, the highlight of his career certainly came during his time in Boston with the Red Sox.

More voices in the MLB community mourned the loss of Lugo at such a young age.

Julio Lugo and Alex Cora were Red Sox teammates and champions in 2007

The 2007 Red Sox won the AL East and dominated their way to the World Series, where they swept the magical Colorado Rockies in four games.

Lugo and Cora were teammates that year and part of the memorable and dominant run through October.

Lugo batted .385 in the Fall Classic and helped the team clinch their second title in four years. Prior to that, the Red Sox had not won a championship in 86 years. But the second World Series win in four seasons, aided by Lugo’s performance, helped set up a big run for Boston in the first two decades of the century.