Both Red Sox manager Alex Cora and pitcher Walker Buehler were ejected in the third inning of Boston's 2-0 win over the New York Mets on Tuesday night after losing their cool on the home plate umpire following a blown call.

Cora was understandably pretty upset after his starter was heaved, and took it upon himself to defend him en route to his 18th career ejection. He even broke the Red Sox's dugout phone that rings to the bullpen in the process.

Much calmer after the game, Cora was asked about the interaction and gave a perfect—and hilarious—answer about what happened:

"I thought yesterday was a good day for us without me, so I decided to do it again," he quipped.

For context, Cora didn't manage the Red Sox in their win over the Mets on Monday—instead opting to attend his daughter's graduation from Boston College. His team is now 2-0 in their last two with him hardly in the dugout.

Hey Alex, ever hear of Wally Pipp?

After Tuesday's win, the Red Sox sit at 25-25 through the season's first 50 games. They'll wrap up their series against the Mets on Wednesday, with first pitch from Fenway Park scheduled for 6:45 p.m. EST.


More MLB on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Alex Cora Gave the Perfect Answer for Why He Was Ejected in Defense of Walker Buehler.

Test hyperlink for boilerplate