OAKLAND — A feeling of dejection came over Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora after Ramón Laureano single-handedly snatched the momentum right out of his club’s hands in the A’s 1-0 win Tuesday night. Yet at the same time, it was tough for Cora to hide a smile from his face.
Laureano has seized the everyday center field job in Oakland after showing off his impressive arm and electric bat throughout the A’s 2018 playoff run. His quick rise from mostly-unknown prospect to one of the A’s most important players caught many by surprise, but not Cora.
Cora spent two seasons as the Houston Astros bench coach from 2016-17, the same time Laureano was a prospect in the Astros organization.