Flashback To When Alex Cora Quietly Accused Carlos Beltran Of Stealing Signs With Yankees
BOSTON (CBS) -- With the Boston Red Sox embroiled in a cheating scandal, one that just cost manager Alex Cora his job, many fans of the New York Yankees are taking a victory lap. They may want to put that on hold for now.
An old tweet from Cora about stealing signs resurfaced on Tuesday, and it wasn't a good look for the now-former Boston manager. Now, a comment that Cora made after the Red Sox and Yankees played in London during the 2019 season is making its way around social media, and it isn't a great look for the Yankees or new Mets manager Carlos Beltran.
In MLB's report about the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal of 2017, Cora was painted as the mastermind behind the whole thing, with Beltran playing a supporting role. Cora brought some of his practices to Boston in 2018, and Beltran apparently did the same when he became a special adviser with the Yankees.
After the Yankees swept the two-game series against the Red Sox, pummeling Boston's pitching for 29 runs over those two days, Cora essentially ousted Beltran for stealing signs when he was in pinstripes.
"Their attention to detail is phenomenal. I was joking with somebody that the biggest free agent acquisition is Carlos Beltran," Cora said with a wink. "He ... I know how it works, you know; he's helping a lot. They're paying attention to details and we have to clean our details."
Then, unprovoked, Cora brought up the use of "devices."
"I'm not saying, you know, devices and all that stuff. Just stuff that the game will dictate, and will scream at people. And he's right there," he said of Beltran. "Throughout the evening I was looking, and I saw it."
Well now. It seems like Cora was sending a little message to his fellow Puerto Rican that he was on to his antics -- because he was the one who started said antics.
Beltran was the only Astros player mentioned in MLB's report about the team, though the new Mets manager apparently won't be punished. But with Cora's past comments coming back in the spotlight, Beltran is probably starting to sweat just a little bit, and so should the New York Yankees. MLB is on a rampage to get technology-aided sign-stealing out of the game, and they may be the next team in Rob Manfred's cross hairs.
