Red Sox hire Astros' Cora as manager

Alex Cora played in the College World Series three times while at the University of Miami.

As a major leaguer, he won a World Series with the Red Sox in 2007.

Last spring, Cora helped build a team that landed Puerto Rico in the championship game of the World Baseball Classic.

As bench coach, he then helped the Houston Astros to a 101-win season and a berth in the World Series

Now Cora will be the focal point of another championship pursuit, having agreed to return to the Red Sox as their next manager per major league sources.

The announcement is expected to come Sunday. But Cora will not be in Boston for a press conference until after the World Series, which starts Tuesday and could run through Nov. 1.

The Sox worked with Major League Baseball and the Astros to determine when to make the announcement. Further delays would have hampered the team in assembling a coaching staff.

President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski moved quickly after firing John Farrell on Oct. 11, selecting Cora from a field of candidates that included former Detroit Tigers manager Brad Ausmus and Arizona Diamondbacks bench coach Ron Gardenhire.

Cora is believed to have agreed to a three-year contract.

Cora, a native of Puerto Rico, is the first Hispanic manager in Red Sox history. At 42, he will be the youngest Sox manager since Kevin Kennedy, who was 40 at the start of the 1995 season.

He inherits a team that was 93-69 for two consecutive seasons under Farrell but did not advance beyond the Division Series. There will be pressure to take what is a talented roster back to the World Series for the first time since 2013.

Cora understands the challenge and the environment in Boston. He is the first former Red Sox player to become manager since Butch Hobson in 1992.

Cora was a middle infielder with the Sox from 2005-08, appearing in 301 games under Terry Francona. The only player still remaining from those teams is second baseman Dustin Pedroia.

The 47th manager in Red Sox history, Cora is the first without previous major league managerial experience since Hobson. But he drew praise from Astros manager A.J. Hinch and the Houston players for his work as bench coach.

“He’s all about baseball. He’s all about the competition and small advantages within the game, one of the brightest baseball intellects that I’ve been around, Hinch said last week.

“He challenges people. He challenges me. He’s someone who’s all about winning. And I think to watch our players respond to him, he’s got a lot of respect in that clubhouse because of the work he puts in and the attention to detail that he brings.”

The Red Sox, while talented, have issues Cora will need to solve.

Several of the young players on the roster, particularly shortstop Xander Bogaerts, regressed last season. David Price had a 3.38 earned run average in the 16 games he pitched but feuded with some media members to a point that it became a sub-plot to the season and drew criticism from fans.

Hanley Ramirez, a talented hitter, was so inconsistent with his effort that Farrell would point out those times Ramirez was “engaged” in the game.

Pedroia ended the season with am injured left knee that could require surgery.

The Red Sox are also likely to see changes over the coming months as Dombrowski adds power to the offense via free agency or trade.

Cora’s immediate responsibility will be to develop a working relationship with Dombrowski and construct a coaching staff.

Cora played in the majors from 1998-2011. He was a starter with the Dodgers from 2000-04, first at shortstop and then at second base.

Cora signed with the Indians as a free agent before the 2005 season then was traded to the Red Sox on July 7 in exchange for infielder Ramon Vazquez.

Cora’s only career home run at Fenway Park was a memorable. The two-run shot to right field came off Roy Halladay in the seventh inning on Aug. 31, 2006 and gave the Sox a 6-4 victory against Toronto.

After his playing career ended, Cora sat out a season then joined ESPN and ESPN Deportes as an analyst. He interviewed for managerial openings with Texas and Arizona before joining the Astros staff last Nov. 15.

Cora has been an active member of the Puerto Rican Winter League as a player, manager and executive.

After playing several seasons, he became general manager of his hometown team, Caguas, from 2014-17 and managed the team for two of those seasons.

After a stellar college career with Miami, Cora was then a third-round pick of the Dodgers out of college.

His older brother, Joey, was in the majors from 1987-98 and is now third base coach of the Pittsburgh Pirates.