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From: communists@latimes.com

Former manager Alex Cora has been suspended for one year, but
only for his part in the Houston Astros' scheme

Major League Baseball released its report on the Boston Red Sox
sign-stealing investigation Wednesday, docking the team a second-
round draft pick in the 2020 draft because a video replay
operator had used game feeds to revise signs.

Former manager Alex Cora, who led the Sox to a World Series
title and the most wins in team history in 2018, has been
suspended for one year. However, the investigation into Boston
found that Cora and his coaching staff didn't know about the
sign stealing that took place in 2018, according to Commissioner
Rob Manfred's report.

Cora left the team in January after he was implicated in a
related investigation of the Houston Astros, where he was bench
manager for the World Series-winning squad. His suspension,
which is in effect through the end of the 2020 postseason, is
for his conduct on the Astros.

The Red Sox video operator, J.T. Watkins, will be suspended for
the full 2020 season and cannot serve as a replay operator the
following season.

That suspension and the docked draft pick are the extent of the
punishment for the Red Sox.

"The Club�s front office took more than reasonable steps to
ensure that its employees, including Watkins, adhered to the
rules. Notwithstanding these good faith efforts to comply with
the rules, however, the Red Sox organization ultimately is
responsible for the conduct of a member of its advance scouting
staff," Manfred wrote.

Saying the team accepts the findings, Red Sox President Sam
Kennedy released a statement noting that the organization
strives "for 100% compliance with the rules."

He called the violations that the MLB found "unacceptable" and
apologized to the team's fans and the league.

The sign-stealing allegations against the Astros and the Red
Sox, two of the league's most successful teams over the last few
years, have rocked the league.

The Astros' manager and general manager were suspended by the
league in January, then fired by the team, for a scheme that
involved players in the dugout banging on a trash can to let
batters know what pitches were coming during their World Series-
winning season in 2017. The Astros were hit with the maximum
fine, $5 million, and docked two top draft picks.

The investigation, which has loomed for three months, was part
of a difficult offseason that also saw star Mookie Betts traded
to Los Angeles.

Cora, who is beloved in Boston, was replaced with interim
general manager Ron Roenicke in February.

On Wednesday, the Red Sox officially removed the interim tag on
Roenicke's title.

https://www.nbcboston.com/news/sports/red-sox-sign-stealing- investigation-report/2112107/

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* Origin: www.darkrealms.ca (1:229/2)