Gerrit Cole's puzzling intentional walk to Rafael Devers with the bases empty sent a signal to Red Sox manager Alex Cora. It painted the Yankees' right-hander in a bad light after an earlier plunking of Devers—something that really irked Cora, prompting him to call out the Yankees and Cole directly after Boston's decisive 7-1 victory. Cora's remarks reflected a brewing tension between the teams, especially with the Red Sox looking to assert themselves in this high-stakes rivalry.
Cole denied intentionally throwing at Devers, claiming, "I didn't throw at Devers in the first inning. He can believe what he wants to believe, but I didn't hit him on purpose." This statement came in response to the fallout from the game, where emotions had flared up due to several on-field incidents. Cole's insistence on his innocence amid Cora's accusations further fueled the narrative of a competitive and often contentious rivalry that goes deep between the Yankees and Red Sox.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone defended Cole, stating, "He definitely wasn't throwing at him." Boone explained that Cole's pitch didn't have intent behind it and was more about trying to get it inside to Devers. He emphasized that cooler heads should prevail and expressed hope that the rivalry wouldn't lead to any further escalation, noting the need for players to maintain their composure even in the heat of intense matchups, such as the one witnessed that day.
Collection
[
|
...
]