Alex Cora Gave the Perfect Answer for Why He Was Ejected in Defense of Walker Buehler

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Both Red Sox manager Alex Cora and pitcher Walker Buehler were ejected in the third inning of Boston's 2-0 win over the New York Mets on Tuesday night after losing their cool on the home plate umpire following a blown call.
Cora was understandably pretty upset after his starter was heaved, and took it upon himself to defend him en route to his 18th career ejection. He even broke the Red Sox's dugout phone that rings to the bullpen in the process.
Much calmer after the game, Cora was asked about the interaction and gave a perfect—and hilarious—answer about what happened:
"I thought yesterday was a good day for us without me, so I decided to do it again," he quipped.
Here’s Alex Cora’s full opening statement postgame on both his and Walker Buehler’s 3rd inning ejections 🗣️
— Tom Carroll (@yaboiTCfresh) May 21, 2025
“…I thought yesterday was a good day for us without me, so decided to do it again.” 😂
“…It looked like it was very aggressive, but he’s the umpire. We have to respect… pic.twitter.com/jqwbFM0z47
For context, Cora didn't manage the Red Sox in their win over the Mets on Monday—instead opting to attend his daughter's graduation from Boston College. His team is now 2-0 in their last two with him hardly in the dugout.
Hey Alex, ever hear of Wally Pipp?
After Tuesday's win, the Red Sox sit at 25-25 through the season's first 50 games. They'll wrap up their series against the Mets on Wednesday, with first pitch from Fenway Park scheduled for 6:45 p.m. EST.
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Mike Kadlick is a senior NFL news writer for Sports Illustrated. He’s also a New England Patriots reporter for CLNS Media, where he hosts the Patriots Daily podcast and covers the beat from Gillette Stadium. Before joining SI, Kadlick worked at WEEI sports radio in Boston. He holds a master’s degree in public relations from Boston University. When Kadlick’s not covering football, he can be found running, spending time with his wife and dog, and enjoying all things pizza.