The Boston Red Sox hired Houston Astros bench coach Alex Cora to be their new manager on Sunday, turning to a player from their 2007 World Series championship roster to help the team out of its current playoff slump. The Red Sox announced the hire on Sunday, a day after Cora's Astros eliminated the New York Yankees in the AL Championship Series. With two days off before Houston opens the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston had a chance to hire Cora without running afoul of baseball's ban on major moves during the Series.