Marcus Stroman takes aim at Alex Cora over sign stealing scandal

Marcus Stroman drew criticism from Alex Cora last season over the way the pitcher carries himself on the mound, so it seemed like only a matter of time before he shared his opinion on Cora’s involvement in the sign stealing scandal that has rocked Major League Baseball.

Following a game between the Red Sox and Blue Jays last year, Cora was openly upset with Stroman for the way the right-hander quick-pitched rookie Michael Chavis. Cora said Stroman “competes a certain way and people don’t like it,” and Stroman responded by calling himself a competitor and telling the Boston manager to get over it. On Tuesday, Stroman recalled that exchange and said he finds it “comical” that Cora judged him over the way he plays the game.

Stroman has a point. People may get irritated with him for his animated antics on the mound, but there is no evidence of him having been at the center of an elaborate cheating scheme. Cora cannot say the same for himself.

Major League Baseball determined in its Houston Astros investigation that Cora was one of the masterminds behind their sign stealing system in 2017, which involved the use of a video monitor. The Red Sox are now the subject of a similar investigation stemming from their 2018 World Series season, so Cora’s fingerprints are all over everything.

Given how guilty Cora looks, he deserves every shot opposing players and fans might take at him.