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Alex Cora meets former team with Boston Red Sox, Houston Astros squaring off in American League Championship Series

Boston Red Sox pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez delivers against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning during Game 4 of a baseball American League Division Series, Monday, Oct. 11, 2021, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

HOUSTON — Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora was already counting on a rematch with his former team even before the Houston Astros advanced to their fifth straight AL Championship Series.

“He told me (Monday), ‘See you soon,'” Houston star Carlos Correa said.

The Astros assured their place the next day, closing out the White Sox in Game 4 of the Division Series.

Now that this matchup is set and will begin tonight, Cora, the Houston bench coach, will look to take down the Astros in the ALCS for the second time in four years after beating them to a World Series title in 2018.

“I’m enjoying the groove,” Cora said. “I think honestly, as a team, we’re clicking at the right time … and it doesn’t matter how you get here, it just matters what you do from here on and we’re prepared for it.”

The red-hot Red Sox beat the Yankees in the wild-card game and earned a trip to Houston by upsetting the 100-win Rays 3-1 in a wild division series.

Cora helped Houston win the 2017 World Series as bench coach, then managed Boston to the 2018 championship after disposing of the Astros. He was let go by the Red Sox following Major League Baseball’s investigation into Houston’s sign-stealing scheme, then suspended by MLB through the 2020 postseason before getting rehired in Boston last November.

The Astros are the third team in MLB history to reach the league championship series in five consecutive seasons, joining the Braves (1995-99) and Athletics (1971-75).

Houston manager Dusty Baker has been there for the last two, but he knows this is a team built for October.

“These guys take a lot of pride in winning, and especially the guys that have been here for a while,” Baker said. “They’ve been through a couple of back-to-back 100-loss seasons, and they like the feeling of winning and the feeling of being on top.”

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