Alex Cora had much more than baseball on his mind during the last few days. 


One of Cora's closest friends, J.D. Artega, experienced one of the worst things that any parent could. His 16-year-old son, Ari Artega, was killed in a car accident on Saturday when his car bumped into a median and swerved into a utility pole. 

Artega and Cora played baseball together for the Hurricanes back in the day. Artega's family practically adopted Cora into their home when he arrived in Miami from Puerto Rico knowing very little English. Their bond is as close as it could be.


Cora has a 16-year-old daughter, which made the incident hit home for him even more. He told the Boston Globe after their game against the Minnesota Twins, "I've got to be honest, today was a tough day for us as a family. What happened to Ari, I can't even explain it."

Cora walked into the locker room before Sunday's game in a Miami Hurricanes t-shirt and a cap with the initials AA on it in honor of Ari. You have to really respect Cora for being able to come into work and do his job despite all of the sadness that was surrounding him and his family. 


The Red Sox are off on Wednesday, so Cora will take the trip down to Miami to console his dear friend.