Boston Red Sox closer Kenley Jansen has revealed a moment in which his manager, Alex Cora, earned Jansen’s lifelong respect.
For Cora, it was a moment she knew she needed to have with former Los Angeles Dodgers on her team in Jansen, Kiké Hernandez and Justin Turner.
Jansen and Turner joined the Sox last offseason, while Hernandez has been with the team since the 2021 season. All three played for the National League pennant-winning Dodgers during the 2017 season.
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Kenley Jansen (74) of the Boston Red Sox is congratulated by manager Alex Cora after a win over the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on June 9, 2023 in New York City. (Elsa/Getty Images)
Baseball fans are familiar with what happened in the 2017 World Series between the Dodgers and the Houston Astros.
Critics say the Astros should be stripped of their title that year because of their cheating scandal.
As the bench coach for those Astros before taking over as manager of the Red Sox, Cora acknowledged the mistakes Houston made that year in a game none of his three players expected.
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«I felt like I wanted to cry right then when he said that,» Jansen told WEEI.com. «I just felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders, for him to step in and say we screwed up as a group. Because I felt like that was the best season I’ve ever had in my entire career because I dominated the whole year.» , dominated the playoffs, and the Houston Astros were the only ones to put the ball in play.
Kenley Jansen of the Los Angeles Dodgers throws a pitch during the eighth inning of Game 6 of the National League Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on October 23, 2021 in Atlanta. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
«It’s over and you can’t change things, but what we can do is appreciate when someone steps up and takes responsibility for what they did… I will respect AC forever for that, and I will cherish it forever.» For that.»
The Dodgers won 104 games that year and were the favorites for the World Series among many pundits and fans. Jansen played a big part in that, collecting 41 saves to tie for second in the majors.
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But the Astros roughed him up when the World Series came around, and he later learned why.
However, Jansen admitted that he got over the Astros scandal in 2021 once it was revealed in 2020. That’s why he’s not mad at his manager, especially after his apology.
Kenley Jansen of the Boston Red Sox reacts during the ninth inning against the Cleveland Guardians on June 6, 2023 at Progressive Field in Cleveland. (Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
«Why should I be angry? If you tell me you don’t make mistakes, who are you? We all make mistakes in this world. We learn from it and get better and for him, he learned from it and got better. I learned from it too. You got I have to forgive, and I forgive him for that. I appreciate him and I love him for that. We can move on,» Jansen said.
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Turner told Cora, «I’m glad you did this,» after the meeting.
«I think it meant a lot,» Turner added. «It was good to hear it and wipe our hands and move on.»