Cora and Pearce help establish magical season for Sox

Boston first baseman Steve Pearce has been a bit of a journeyman since making his Major League debut back in 2007. The 35-year-old veteran may have now found a permanent home with the Red Sox in his 11th season. The guy that took a chance on him, Boston manager Alex Cora, has faced his own obstacles. Many criticized the move by the Sox to give Cora his first managerial shot at the young age of 43. But bringing over his experience as bench coach of the 2017 Houston Astros may have been exactly what the Red Sox organization needed.

From free agent to World Series MVP for Steve Pearce

https://twitter.com/RedSox/status/1056908708888883201

Last June, Pearce was traded from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Red Sox for a minor league player. In October, he was helping lead his new team to a world championship behind a two-home run performance in Game 6 of the World Series. “Baseball’s a funny game,” Pearce said after the game. “The longer you stay in the game, great things can happen.” The Lakeland, Florida, native has dreamed about the moment of being named World Series MVP since he was a young kid. “This is the greatest feeling of my life, he said. “When you’re a kid, this is where you want to be. And it’s happening right now. “This is a great moment. I’m so glad I get to share it with everybody.”

Cora leads Red Sox to promise land in the first year as manager

Alex Cora brought with him a winning mentality that infected the entire Boston clubhouse. The former Houston Astros bench coach helped lead the Astros to a World Series in 2017 and hoped to bring that same energy and attention to detail to a Sox organization looking for its first World Series appearance since 2013.

"The next thing I'm going to ask ownership is if we can take this trophy to my island."@RedSox manager Alex Cora is taking the World Series trophy back to Puerto Rico! pic.twitter.com/fuNtpkvj3t

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) October 29, 2018

Cora not only led the Red Sox to a winning record in year 1 at the helm, but he also led them to a dominating 108-54 record, including an incredibly impressive 11-3 finish in the playoffs. Boston made some of the best teams in the MLB look foolish, and that’s mostly due to Cora’s leadership. The organization will certainly be a force going forward with him in charge.