Ron Roenicke came to Boston to be Alex Cora's bench coach. When Cora left, unceremoniously, Roenicke was named as his replacement.
And when, in turn, Roenicke was dismissed as Red Sox manager, Roenicke urged the Red Sox to make his predecessor also his successor.
Call it the baseball Circle of Life.
"I just think, with all the stuff that happened, that Alex is the right guy to bring back,'' said Roenicke from California. "I'm not saying that I didn't want to (remain as manager); I would have liked to do it. But I think Alex did a great job and I think because of the way he feels about people and players...There's so much great communication and care on his part. And knowledge, too. This is a really smart baseball guy with great feel.
"I didn't know if it was going to be with Boston. I wasn't sure. But I knew that this guy needs to be managing.''
Unlike all the other candidates who were considered and interviewed for the job, Cora will need no learning curve when it comes to handling the pressures of the job and the demands of the market. He's already done it and Cora will hit the ground running.
"I think that's a big part of it,'' Roenicke said. "I think it's important when they're looking at people and how they're going to handle a pressurized situation because it is a pressurized situation. They want to win, they expect to win. So either that personality, if it's a first-time guy, has to be super-strong, confident. But this guy already knows what's entailed there -- whether it's the media, the fans, the front office -- and has a good feel for what goes on and what kind of pressure is going to be put on you.''
Cora spent the 2020 season in a sort of baseball exile, serving out his suspension for his involvement with the 2017 Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal. In that time, Roenicke said Cora had time to think and grow and will return to his second stint both energized and more focused.
"I think he comes back more experienced,'' Roenicke said. "When you've done the job, you know what's expected of you. You know what the players are looking for from you. You know the leadership responsibilities you have. And I think the longer you do it, you understand. And what happened with Alex in Houston, with experience, you understand that you don't do that.''
Cora has said little publicly since his departure from the Red Sox last January, granting only two interviews. Upon his return to the spotlight this week, there will be the expectation for Cora to address what took place that led to his suspension, but Roenicke believes there's a limit to how much his friend should keep the issue in the forefront.
"I think when he feels it's right, he can talk about it and be comfortable talking about it,'' Roenicke said. "I know how he feels; he's told me. That's just kind of a personal thing, whether you tell people around you or if you feel like you have to come out publicly say something. I think that's an individual thing. Some people might think you need to come out (and address it); others might feel it's what happened and you try to forget it.
"He's made a couple of comments on it. I don't know how much you want to keep addressing it.''
Looking back on his brief tenure as Red Sox manager, Roenicke said there was never any awkwardness about the dynamic between himself and the man who preceded him in the position.
"The players knew how I felt about Alex,'' he said. "I talked to them about it. It would be, 'Hey, I talked to Alex the other day and he said to say Hi,' or whatever. So just me talking about Alex or the years before and how great that was, they knew where I was at. They knew how I felt about him.''
There remains the possibility that the Cora-Roenicke partnership could be resumed. In September, when asked about the potential for Cora reclaiming his old job, Roenicke revealed that he would consider coming back in his former role as bench coach. That position on the coaching staff is currently vacant after the Red Sox announced that Jerry Narron, Roenicke's handpicked lieutenant, would, naturally, not return.
"I'd rather not make any comments on that,'' said Roenicke. "I have had conversations on it and I think the people in the front office know and Alex knows how I feel about it. I like everybody there. For all the pain it was to go through the COVID stuff and all the protocols and everything that came up during the season, I have a good feeling for everybody there.
"And because of that -- and I don't know in what capacity -- but I would always have a good feeling about coming back there.''
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Meanwhile, the Red Sox that Cora returns to are far different than when he left, just 10 months ago.
On the field, they're without an MVP-caliber franchise player (Mookie Betts), a Gold Glove defender (Jackie Bradley Jr.) and an experienced veteran starting pitcher (David Price).
In January, few had heard of COVID-19. Now, it hangs over the game and the resulting protocols can be overwhelming.
So Cora has some adjusting to do. Not that he needs help, but here's a brief To-Do list.
- Establish a rapport with Chaim Bloom.
- Determine a plan for the pitching staff in spring training.
- Build relationships with the entire roster.