Alex Cora's Umo freakout defends Vaughn Grissom in a way Brian Snitker never could

It took one inning for Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora to be ejected, typical of this team's rough 2024 season. The Red Sox won't make the playoffs, but Cora is already setting the tone for 2025.

One of the Red Sox's most important additions last winter, center fielder Vaughn Grissom, has struggled to stay healthy this year. However, Grissom was only promoted late in the season and is trying to find his rhythm in the final week of the season. The umpires did him no favors when he was whistled for obstruction while attempting to cover second base.

Cora, the headline says, lost his mind defending Grissom in front of the referees, showing just how far the veteran coach is willing to go to defend his players.

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Alex Cora miraculously was not penalized or suspended despite essentially admitting that the Red Sox threw against Aaron Judge in the Yankees' series last week. One might think that this action should do the trick.

Grissom has had a rough time in 2024, having been acquired in a trade for Chris Sale. Sale is coming off an NL Cy Young-level season for the Atlanta Braves, who remain in the playoff race and are just a few games behind the New York Mets for the third wild card spot. This constant comparison and Grissom's injuries have made said trade seem far more one-sided than most thought 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 night roster in 2023 despite his impressive stats in spring training. The Braves have toyed with the idea of ​​changing his position on several occasions, whether it was shortstop, second baseman, or even left field. As much as the Braves claimed to believe in Grissom, they never gave him a sustained chance because of the talent around him—just remember that just last season Atlanta set records with a lineup that didn't include Grissom.

None of this should be a burden on Snitker or Grissom themselves. Sometimes talented players need a change of scenery, and one can only hope that Grissom gets the injury-free fresh start he deserves next season in Boston.