BOSTON (AP) Alex Cora has already been identified as a ringleader in an illegal system of sign stealing when he was with the Houston Astros.

The Red Sox didnt wait to see what punishment Major League Baseball might give him for possibly bringing a similar scheme with him to Boston.

Cora was fired by the team he led to the 2018 World Series title on Tuesday night, one day after baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said he was an active participant in the Astros cheating when he was a bench coach in Houston.

Manfred mentioned Cora by name 11 times in a nine-page report, saying he originated and executed the scheme in which Houston used a center field camera to decode catchers signals to pitchers, then banged on a trash can to relay the signs to batters so they would know what type of pitch was coming.

The Astros fired manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow, making that announcement an hour after Manfred suspended them for the 2020 season for their roles in the cheating scheme. Cora met Tuesday with Boston management and they issued a release saying they had mutually agreed to part ways.

Given the findings and the commissioners ruling, we collectively decided that it would not be possible for Alex to effectively lead the club going forward, the team said in a statement attributed to owner John Henry, chairman Tom Werner, CEO Sam Kennedy and Cora.