Cora attended Vanderbilt University and played college baseball for the Vanderbilt Commodores. In 1984, he played collegiate summer baseball for the Chatham A's of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He hit.373 with 28 stolen bases, and was named the league's most valuable player. In 2017, he was inducted into the CCBL Hall of Fame. The San Diego Padres selected Cora in the first round of the 1985 MLB draft. As a member of the Beaumont Golden Gators, Cora was stabbed after a game in San Antonio, Texas, on June 22, 1986. Cora was waiting outside the team bus following the game against the San Antonio Missions at V.J. Keefe Stadium when two men called his name and then assaulted him. He was stabbed once in the stomach and once in the arm. Cora was quickly rushed to the hospital and later made a full recovery after spending six weeks on the disabled list. A man named Jose Puente, 29, was caught at the scene and was later charged with attempted murder. Cora had exchanged words with fans outside of the visitor's dressing room, resulting in the fans returning with more men later on. Cora debuted in the major leagues on April 6, 1987, as a 21-year-old rookie. After spending parts of three seasons with the Padres, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox in 1991, where Cora spent the next four seasons. On April 6, 1995, Cora signed with the Seattle Mariners. His 24-game hitting streak was a Mariners record and was an AL record for switch hitters. In 1997, he was elected to the AL All-Star team and went on to hit.300 with 11 home runs and 54 RBI. In the bottom of 11th inning of the deciding Game 5 of the 1995 American League Division Series, he bunted and dove into first base, narrowly avoiding the tag, to kick off the game-winning rally and score on Edgar Martínez's double. Cora spent most of the 1998 season as a Mariner, but with the team falling out of contention, he was dealt to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for David Bell, where he barely played, due to injuries. He signed a free-agent contract with the Toronto Blue Jays during the off-season, but retired without playing a game.
Coaching career
Following his retirement from play, Cora was a manager in the New York Mets minor league system. He was later hired by teammate and good friend, Ozzie Guillén as a coach. He began coaching in 2003 for the Chicago White Sox. His responsibilities included facilitating the role of third base coach and organizing the team's spring training camps prior to his promotion to bench coach following the 2006 season. He occasionally served as an interim manager whenever Guillen was suspended or ejected from a game, or was unable to attend for any other reason. He managed the Venezuelan Winter League baseball team Tiburones de la Guaira in the 2005–2006 season with a record of 31–31. Joey is the elder brother of former MLB player and former Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora. Both brothers are Major League Baseball World Champions. Joey earned his ring as the third base coach of the 2005 World Champion Chicago White Sox. Alex earned his as a member of the 2007 World Champion Red Sox, a coach with the 2017 World Champion Houston Astros, and as the manager of the 2018 World Champion Boston Red Sox. Cora was interviewed by the Milwaukee Brewers for their managerial opening in October 2010. He was believed to be a finalist along with Bob Melvin, Bobby Valentine, and Ron Roenicke. Cora was dismissed by the White Sox on September 27, 2011, the day after they released Guillén from his contract, despite initially tabbing Cora to manage the final two games of the season. Cora was named bench coach of the Miami Marlins on November 1, 2011, reuniting with Guillén. Cora took over as interim manager for the Miami Marlins on April 10, 2012 in the wake of Ozzie Guillen's 5-game suspension for comments related to Fidel Castro. In 2016, Cora became the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates Double-A club, the Altoona Curve. He became the ninth manager in franchise history. He was promoted to third base coach for the major league team for the 2017 season.
Broadcasting career
Cora served as a guest analyst on MLB Network's 2013 World Baseball Classic coverage and subsequently joined the network as an analyst debuting on MLB Tonight on May 6.
Personal life
Joey is the older brother of former Red Sox manager Alex Cora.
