Boston Red Sox manager addresses criticism after missing game for daughter’s graduation

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora is defending himself for missing one of the team’s games to attend his daughter’s college graduation.

Cora skipped a May 19 game between the Red Sox and the New York Mets at Boston’s Fenway Park in order to watch his daughter, Camila, participate in a graduation ceremony at Boston College.

“I made the best decision for my daughter, and for those who don’t understand, I’m not gonna try to convince them,” Cora told reporters May 20 in a video NBC Sports Boston shared on TikTok.

Cora came under fire in local media for skipping the game, which the Red Sox won 3-1.

Mike Felger, a popular radio personality at 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, slammed Cora’s decision, noting that Boston College’s graduation ceremony took place in the morning while the Red Sox game started at 6:45 p.m.

“They were, I believe, done by noon, which means you can have a nice big party in the middle of the day,” Felger said, according to the Boston Herald. “Just cab down the street and manage the game.”

“It’s just the leadership and optics of the whole thing,” Felger added. “It’s a very easy chance for him to say, ‘Nothing’s more important than tonight’s game.'”

Boston Red Sox manager addresses criticism after missing game for daughter’s graduation — Cora poses with his daughter Camila during the 2019 Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Progressive Field on July 8, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Billie Weiss / Boston Red Sox via Getty Images)

In NBC Sports Boston’s video from the follow-up press conference, Cora could be seen shaking his head in disagreement as one reporter suggested he could have “rushed out” of his daughter’s graduation to attend the game.

“(Camila) wanted me to be with her and it was her day so this is secondary,” Cora responded.

“You know, we’re in this world for a purpose, right, and for me, it’s to raise her, try to do the best we can. Obviously it wasn’t perfect, but right now, it’s perfect,” he said.

“I wasn’t going to miss it,” he later added.

Cora later laughed after another reporter asked him if he was bothered by the criticism.

“People have their own opinions,” Cora replied. “I bet those people, they have families too. And at one point, they had to make decisions, too. And I bet they made decisions for the best of the family.”

Sports fans applauded Cora’s decision to prioritize his child in the comments section of NBC Sports Boston’s video.

“There are 162 games in the baseball season for some reason. His daughter graduates once,” one wrote.

“He’s a father first,” another fan wrote in support.

“Who in their right mind is arguing against this?” asked someone else.

Cora posted a photo on Instagram that showed more than a dozen family members celebrating Camila at her graduation on Monday. He wrote in his caption, #FamiliaEsFamilia, or #FamilyIsFamily.

“No need to elaborate,” he added.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com