#Alex Cora: Astros’ sign-stealing scandal wasn’t ‘two-man show’

Blame Alex Cora. Fault him for his role in the Astros’ electronic sign-stealing scandal. He can accept that. But don’t absolve everyone else.

“If there is one thing I am absolutely sure of, it is that it was not a two-man show. We all did it,” Cora told ESPN. “And let me be very clear that I am not denying my responsibility, because we were all responsible.”

Cora, the 44-year-old former Red Sox manager and Astros bench coach, received a one-year suspension from the game and was fired from his job with the Red Sox following an investigation into the Astros’ 2017 scheme. MLB suspended Astros manager AJ Hinch one year and he was fired by Houston. General manager Jeff Luhnow was also let go. The Astros were fined $5 million and forfeited first- and second-round picks in 2020 and 2021.

In the interview, Cora accepted blame. But he dismissed the notion that Cora and Carlos Beltran, who lost his managerial job with the Mets a few months after landing it, were the lone wolves pressuring others to cheat.

“There has been a narrative out there of what happened. Ever since mid-November until the commissioner announced the results of the Red Sox investigation, I have read many things that are true and many others that are not,” he said. “Out of this whole process, if there is one thing that I completely reject and disagree with is people within the Astros’ organization singling me out, particularly [former general manager] Jeff Luhnow, as if I were the sole mastermind. The commissioner’s report sort of explained, in its own way, what happened. But the [Astros players] have spoken up and refuted any allegations that I was solely responsible.

“I deserve my suspension and I’m paying the price for my actions. And I am not proud of what happened. We made a mistake as a group, the entire [Astros] team. What happened was something that, if you ask anyone involved, no one is proud of it. We’re all at fault. Everybody. We’re all responsible. Everyone who was part of the team from around mid-May until the end of the season, we are all responsible.”

Cora hasn’t done much talking since his punishment was handed down, opting to keep a low profile. He would like to return to baseball at some point, but his focus is elsewhere at the moment.

“Right now, all I care about is my personal life and my family. This has not been an easy time for us, and it’s my fault,” he said. “Do I want to return the game? Absolutely. That’s why I worked so hard for so many years before being named Red Sox manager. But right now, all of that is secondary.”

Since news broke of the scandal, many players and fans have suggested the Astros’ title is tainted, that they couldn’t have won it all without cheating. Cora gets the frustration that is out there.

“I am being honest and I apologize for what happened and for the mistakes we made as a group,” he said. “I understand why people are disappointed. I am disappointed in myself. At the time, one doesn’t think about the consequences. It was something that kept growing and growing, and in the end, it was wrong. We made a mistake and I must pay for the consequences of my actions.”