Alex Cora goes freakout mode to defend Vaughn Grissom in ways Brian Snitker never could

It took one inning for Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora to get ejected, which is on-brand for this team's tough 2024 season. The Red Sox will not make the playoffs, but Cora is already setting the tone for 2025.

One of the Red Sox primary offseason additions from last winter, middle infielder Vaughn Grissom, has struggled to stay healthy this year. Grissom was a late-season promotion, however, and is trying to find his groove in the season's final week. The umpires didn't do him any favors when he was called for interference trying to cover second base.

Cora, as the headline would suggest, lost his mind while defending Grissom to the umpires. It shows just how far the veteran manager is willing to go to defend his players.

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Red Sox manager Alex Cora ejected in first inning for defending Vaughn Grissom

Alex Cora was miraculously not fined or suspended for basically admitting the Red Sox threw at Aaron Judge in the Yankees series just last week. This act, one would assume, should do the trick.

Grissom's had a rough go of it in 2024, as he was acquired in the Chris Sale trade. Sale has put together an NL Cy Young-caliber season for the Atlanta Braves, which remain in the playoff race and are just a few games behind the New York Mets for the third Wild Card spot. That constant comparison, along with injuries to Grissom, has made said trade look far more lopsided than most assumed at the time. Grissom is a promising young player with a big bat.

Grissom never had much of a chance in Atlanta. Brian Snitker famously left him off the Opening Day roster in 2023 despite some impressive spring training stats. The Braves flirted with changing his position on multiple occasions, whether it be to shortstop, second base, or even left field. As much as the Braves claimed to believe in Grissom, they never gave him a sustained opportunity because of the talent around him -- remember that just last season Atlanta set records with a lineup that didn't feature Grissom.

None of this is necessarily on Snitker, or Grissom himself. Sometimes, prospects need a change of scenery, and one can only hope Grissom gets the fresh start he deserves next season in Boston injury-free.