Gerrit Cole, the New York Yankees ace pitcher, who’s, in fact, struggling with consistency due to a pre-season elbow injury, was dominating his start against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday. Cole hadn’t allowed a run in the first three inning with Yanks leading the game 1-0 entering the fourth inning.
What followed was a humiliation beyond the understanding of fans and analyst. Gerrit Cole decided to intentionally walk Boston Red Sox in-form slugger Rafael Devers and that triggered the opposition to score barrel of runs. Undoubtedly, in hindsight, the New York Yankees manager regretted the move.
Aaron Boone Admits Fault In Gerrit Cole’s Intentional Walk Strategy
The New York Yankees were left to regret a baffling decision involving Gerrit Cole’s intentional walk during a humiliating loss to the Boston Red Sox. In game 3, Cole first hit Rafael Devers by pitch in the first inning, which angered the Red Sox management. Later in the fourth inning, Cole animatedly lifted his four fingers in the air and waved at Devers to intentionally walk him with no out. However, the move backfired as the Red Sox scored seven runs in the fourth and fifth innings combined to destroy Cole’ dominant start as the Yanks lost the game with a 7-1 humiliating scoreline. Meanwhile, Cole admitted in a post-game interview that he was merely following the team orders as the pitching coach, Matt Blake, reinforced the gameplan in the tunnel.
New York Yankees Aaron Boone also admitted that it was the Yanks’ plan to intentionally walk Rafael Devers, which they ended up regretting in hindsight. Boone would have preferred to see Gerrit Cole pitch to Devers. He added how bad communication from his end was a major part of the problem. “[Saturday] we didn’t do it well enough, and that falls on me. So we’re going to learn from it,” Boone said. While the skipper claimed that the intentional walk strategy was a pre-planned move, catcher Austin Wells revealed that he was caught off-guard by the move and was never briefed about anything remotely similar. Needless to say, the moment shifted momentum entirely in the Red Sox’s favour, and the Yanks’ collapse soon followed. In the aftermath, the Bronx Bombers are left to reflect on the costly choice that turned an otherwise competitive game into a bitter loss.
Rafael Devers Throws Shade At Gerrit Cole Over Saturday Gaffe
The intentional walk from New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole on Saturday not only surprised the Yankee fans but also caught Rafael Devers and Boston Red Sox off-guard. Devers said that he didn’t expect such tactics from a future Hall of Famer pitcher. “To say it one way, I feel like he panicked a little bit,” Devers said.
On the other hand, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora picked a bone with Gerrit Cole over the HBP incident in the first inning. He deemed it intentional, citing Cole’s alleged game plan to avoid pitching to Rafael Devers. Also, Red Sox starter Brayan Bello opined that Cole showed weakness by avoiding pitching to Devers.
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