Joey Cora

Career as a player

In college, Cora played for Vanderbilt University. On June 3, 1985 he was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the first round.

As a member of the Beaumont Golden Gators Cora received national attention when on June 22, 1986 he was stabbed after a game in San Antonio, Texas. Cora, who had been a first round draft pick, was waiting outside the team bus following the game against the San Antonio Missions at V.J. Keefe Stadium when two men called his name and then assaulted him. He was stabbed once in the stomach and once in the arm. Cora was quickly rushed to the hospital and later made a full recovery after spending six weeks on the disabled list. A man named Jose Puente, 29, was caught at the scene and was later charged with attempted murder. Apparently Cora had exchanged words with fans outside of the visitor's dressing room, resulting in the fans returning with more men later on.

He debuted in the Major Leagues on April 6, 1987, as a 21-year-old rookie. After spending parts of three seasons with the Padres, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox in 1991, where Cora would spend the next four seasons.

On April 6, 1995, he signed with the Seattle Mariners, where he would enjoy his most productive seasons at bat. His 24-game hitting streak was a Mariners record (later broken by Ichiro Suzuki), and still stands as the longest streak for American League switch-hitters. In 1997, he was elected to the American League All-Star team and went on to hit .300 with 11 home runs and 54 RBI.

Cora, who was nicknamed "Little Joey," was one of the most popular Mariners during his time with the team, and many fans admired the second baseman for his hustle, grit, and good nature. He also endeared himself to the fans when the Mariners' storied 1995 season was ended in game six of the 1995 American League Championship Series by the Cleveland Indians. Cora, like thousands of fans in the Kingdome that day, broke down and wept. The footage of him weeping while the Mariners' then-rookie Alex Rodriguez draped his arm across Cora's shoulder and consoled him was widely replayed throughout the Seattle area. This event was memorialized the following year with a very humorous promotional ad. The sensitivity and emotion Cora displayed made him particularly popular with young women in the Pacific Northwest, who would often hold signs at Mariners' home games, saying "Marry me, Joey!"

Cora spent most of the 1998 season as a Mariner, but with the team falling out of contention, he was dealt to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for David Bell, where he barely played, due to injuries. He signed a free-agent contract with the Toronto Blue Jays during the off-season, but retired without playing a game.

Career as a coach

Following his retirement from play, Cora was a manager in the New York Mets minor league system. He was later hired by teammate and good friend, Ozzie Guillén as a coach. He began coaching in 2003 for the Chicago White Sox. His responsibilities included facilitating the role of third base coach and organizing the team's spring training camps prior to his promotion to bench coach following the 2006 season. He occasionally served as an interim manager whenever Guillen was suspended or ejected from a game, or was unable to attend for any other reason.

He managed the Venezuelan Winter League baseball team Tiburones de la Guaira in the 2005–2006 season with a record of 31–31 (.500)

Joey is the elder brother of MLB player, Alex Cora. Both brothers are Major League Baseball World Champions. Joey earned his ring as the third base coach of the 2005 World Champion Chicago White Sox. Alex earned his as a member of the 2007 World Champion Boston Red Sox.

Cora was interviewed by the Milwaukee Brewers for their managerial opening in October 2010. He was believed to be a finalist along with Bob Melvin, Bobby Valentine, and Ron Roenicke.

Cora was dismissed by the White Sox on September 27, 2011, the day after they released Guillén from his contract, despite initially tabbing Cora to manage the final two games of the season. Cora was named bench coach of the Miami Marlins on November 1, 2011, reuniting with Guillén.

Cora took over as interim manager for the Miami Marlins on April 10, 2012 in the wake of Ozzie Guillen's 5-game suspension for comments related to Fidel Castro.

In 2016, Cora became the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates Double-A club, the Altoona Curve. He became the ninth manager in franchise history. After the 2016 season, he was promoted and became a base coach for the 2017 season.

Broadcasting career

Cora served as a guest analyst on MLB Network's 2013 World Baseball Classic coverage and subsequently joined the network as an analyst debuting on MLB Tonight on May 6.