| Joey Cora | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Cora with the Mets in 2023 | |
| Detroit Tigers – No. 56 | |
| Second baseman /Coach | |
| Born: (1965-05-14)May 14, 1965 (age 59) Caguas,Puerto Rico | |
Batted: Switch Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| April 6, 1987, for the San Diego Padres | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 27, 1998, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .277 |
| Home runs | 30 |
| Runs batted in | 294 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
As player
As coach | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
José Manuel Cora Amaro (born May 14, 1965) is a Puerto Rican formerMajor League Baseball player with an 11-year career inMLB spanning the years 1987 and 1989–1998 and current third base coach for theDetroit Tigers.[1] He played for theSan Diego Padres of theNational League and theChicago White Sox,Seattle Mariners andCleveland Indians of theAmerican League. He primarily played as a second baseman.
Cora attendedVanderbilt University and playedcollege baseball for theCommodores. In 1984, he playedcollegiate summer baseball for theChatham A's of theCape Cod Baseball League (CCBL). He hit .373 with 28 stolen bases, and was named the league'smost valuable player. In 2017, he was inducted into theCCBL Hall of Fame.[2]
TheSan Diego Padres selected Cora in the first round (23rd overall) of the1985 MLB draft.[3] As a member of theBeaumont Golden Gators, Cora was stabbed after a game inSan Antonio, Texas, on June 22, 1986. Cora was waiting outside the team bus following the game against theSan Antonio Missions at V.J. Keefe Stadium when two men called his name and then assaulted him. He was stabbed once in the stomach and once in the arm. Cora was quickly rushed to the hospital and later made a full recovery after spending six weeks on the disabled list. A man named Jose Puente, 29, was caught at the scene and was later charged with attempted murder. Cora had exchanged words with fans outside of the visitor's dressing room, resulting in the fans returning with more men later on.[4]
Cora debuted in the major leagues on April 6, 1987 as a 21-year-old rookie. In his first career game, he started at second base and finished the game 2-for-5 in a 4–3 loss to theSan Francisco Giants.[5] After spending parts of three seasons with the Padres, Cora was traded to theChicago White Sox along with Kevin Garner andWarren Newson in exchange for pitchersAdam Peterson andSteve Rosenberg on March 31, 1991.[6] Cora spent the next four seasons with the White Sox before becoming a free agent.
On April 6, 1995, Cora signed with theSeattle Mariners.[7] His 24-gamehitting streak was a Mariners record (later broken byIchiro Suzuki) and was an AL record for switch hitters (until broken by Kansas City'sJose Offerman in 1997). In 1997, he was elected to the ALAll-Star team and went on to hit .300 with 11 home runs and 54 RBI in 149 games.[7]
In the bottom of 11th inning of the deciding Game 5 of the1995 American League Division Series, Cora bunted and dove into first base, narrowly avoiding the tag, kicking off the game-winning rally in which he scored onEdgar Martínez'swalk-off double.[8]
Cora spent most of the 1998 season as a Mariner, but with the team falling out of contention, he was dealt to theCleveland Indians in exchange forDavid Bell on August 31.[9] He finished the season batting a combined .276 with six home runs and 32 RBI in 155 games.[7] Cora signed a free-agent contract with theToronto Blue Jays during the off-season, but retired without playing a game.
Following his retirement from play, Cora was hired in 2000 with theChicago Cubs minor league team, theDaytona Cubs. He was later hired by teammate and good friend,Ozzie Guillén as a coach in 2003 for the Chicago White Sox. His responsibilities included facilitating the role of third base coach and organizing the team's spring training camps prior to his promotion to bench coach following the 2006 season. He occasionally served as an interim manager whenever Guillen was suspended or ejected from a game, or was unable to attend for any other reason.
He managed theVenezuelan Winter League baseball teamTiburones de la Guaira in the 2005–2006 season with a record of 31–31.
Cora was interviewed by theMilwaukee Brewers for their managerial opening in October 2010. He was believed to be a finalist along withBob Melvin,Bobby Valentine, andRon Roenicke.[10]
Cora was dismissed by the White Sox on September 27, 2011, the day after they released Guillén from his contract, despite initially tabbing Cora to manage the final two games of the season.[11][12] Cora was named bench coach of theMiami Marlins on November 1, 2011, reuniting with Guillén.[13] Cora took over as interim manager for the Marlins on April 10, 2012 in the wake of Guillén's five-game suspension for comments related toFidel Castro.[14]
In December 2015, Cora was hired as manager of thePittsburgh Pirates Double-A club, theAltoona Curve. He became the ninth manager in franchise history.[15] He was promoted to third base coach for the major league team for the 2017 season. Cora was dismissed from his role following the 2021 season on October 9, 2021.[16]
On January 5, 2022, Cora was hired by theNew York Mets to serve as the team's third base coach for the 2022 season.[17] Cora stayed on as the third base coach for the Mets for the 2023 season.
On December 5, 2023, Cora was hired by theDetroit Tigers to serve as the team's third base coach for the 2024 season.[1]
Cora served as a guest analyst onMLB Network's2013 World Baseball Classic coverage and subsequently joined the network as an analyst. He debuted onMLB Tonight on May 6, 2013.[18]
Cora is the elder brother of former MLB player and currentBoston Red Sox managerAlex Cora. Both brothers have been part of at least one World Series-winning team. Joey was a third base coach for the2005 World Champion Chicago White Sox. Alex was a shortstop and second baseman for the2007 World ChampionBoston Red Sox, a coach for the 2017 World ChampionHouston Astros, and the manager of the 2018 World Champion Boston Red Sox.
Cora is a 2023 inductee of the Vanderbilt University Sports Hall of Fame.
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chicago White Soxthird base coach 2004–2006 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chicago White Soxbench coach 2007–2011 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Miami Marlinsbench coach 2012 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Altoona Curvemanager 2016 | Succeeded by |
