Winning the American League pennant is a pretty good birthday present, and it was one Alex Cora received on Thursday night in Houston.

The Red Sox manager turned 43 on Thursday, the same day that his club was able to clinch the American League pennant with a 4-1 victory over the Astros in Game 5 at Minute Maid Park. That big win gave Boston a 4-1 series win in the ALCS and punched their ticket to the World Series, where they'll await the Dodgers or Brewers.

After the final out of Game 5 was recorded, the typical field celebrations ensued. Then, as usual, the celebration was taken to the clubhouse. But once the Red Sox arrived at the clubhouse, they made sure to make time for their manager's birthday tribute. Not only did they win him a pennant, but they also sang him "Happy Birthday" for good measure.

As an extra bit of icing on the birthday cake, the victory was a historic one for baseball. With the ALCS locked up, Cora becomes the first Puerto Rican manager in MLB history to lead his team to a World Series.

Not a bad birthday. Not a bad first season as manager, either.