Alex Cora, Boston Red Sox manager, learned to lead from dad who died of colon cancer and mom who kept family ‘on top

FORT MYERS, Florida — Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora never fully comprehended as a boy growing up in Puerto Rico in the 1980s that his father, Jose Manuel Cora, was fighting colon cancer.

“We used to go to his doctor for his checkups and all I remember is they were talking baseball,” Cora stated to MassLive. “So it was just like, ‘Oh, we’re visiting a friend.'”

Just 13 days before Cora turned 13, Jose Manuel passed away.

Cora recalls going to the hospital with his family after participating in a junior varsity volleyball match. His father’s presence astonished him, and he wondered what had transpired.

After spending the evening at home with his family, he went to bed. Their neighbor knocked on their door at around three in the morning, telling them they had to go back to the hospital.

When the doctor continued to speak about his father in the past tense, Cora started to get skeptical. The physician then broke the bad news: Jose Manuel had died.

“I spoke up a lot among the guys.”

As leaders, his siblings also set a high standard. Lydia and Iris, his sisters, are active members of their church, community, and workplace.

“They are experts in their field. Within their communities, they are leaders. We Coras are quite skilled at that. And I believe that my parents are the source.”

Cora shown traits of a leader during his time as a University of Miami student-athlete. “Regardless of what year it was, freshman year, sophomore year or junior year, I was very vocal in the clubhouse,” Cora recalls.