Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora has a unique connection with newly-acquired infielder Travis Shaw.
Asked after Sunday's 6-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles about the claiming of Shaw off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers earlier in the day, Cora said that for the first time in his career, he feels old: Cora was teammates with Shaw's father, Jeff, 20 years ago with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
The 45-year-old Cora and Jeff Shaw, now 55, were teammates in Los Angeles from 1998-2001, when Cora was a young infielder just breaking into the big leagues and Jeff Shaw was at the end of a 12-year career which saw him make two All-Star games.
Eduardo Rodriguez, Alex Cora get animated in Sox dugout
Cora will now manage his former teammate's son for the remainder of the season. Travis Shaw, 31, hit .191 with six home runs and 28 runs batted in over 56 games for the Brewers this season.
When Cora first took over as manager of the Red Sox in 2018, only one of his former Boston teammates remained on the roster from his playing days in Dustin Pedroia. Shaw, who began his career with the Red Sox, was traded to the Brewers in 2016 prior to Cora's initial arrival.