Gerrit Cole’s matchup against Rafael Devers has become one of baseball’s most intense pitcher-hitter rivalries. On Saturday at Yankee Stadium, the tension escalated in the Yankees’ 7-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox, when Cole hit Devers in his first at-bat. What followed was a game full of drama, accusations, and unraveling for the Yankees’ ace, with Red Sox manager Alex Cora suggesting that the pitch was intentional.
Alex Cora alleges intentional hit-by-pitch
From the outset, Gerrit Cole’s outing seemed to have the makings of a strong performance. He rolled through the first three innings, allowing just one baserunner. Yet that lone baserunner was none other than Devers, who was struck by a pitch in the first inning, a cutter that grazed his arm. The Red Sox third baseman, who has historically had significant success against Cole, took his base without much reaction, but the incident quickly became the game’s defining moment.
Cora, in his post-game interview, didn’t mince words. “I felt like the first at-bat, he hit him on purpose,” Cora said. “He didn’t want to face him. That was loud and clear.” Cora’s frustration was palpable as he implied that Cole was trying to avoid pitching to Devers by hitting him.
Gerrit Cole denies intentional hit, defends pitch location
Gerrit Cole, however, denied the accusation, insisting that the hit-by-pitch was unintentional. “I didn’t hit him on purpose. He can believe what he wants to believe, but that wasn’t my intention,” Cole said. The Yankees’ ace was adamant that his pitch got away from him and that there was no intent to avoid Devers in that first at-bat. The cutter, Cole argued, simply didn’t land where he wanted it to.
The tension only mounted when, in the fourth inning, with one out and no one on base, Gerrit Cole raised four fingers, intentionally walking Devers. At the time, the Yankees were clinging to a 1-0 lead, and the decision to walk Devers—who entered the game with a staggering 1.370 OPS and eight home runs against Cole in his career—was part of a pre-arranged game plan between Cole and Yankees manager Aaron Boone.
“We discussed it in the days prior to and during the game of strategically walking him,” Cole explained. “We were in the tunnel before the inning and discussed if [Jarren] Duran was retired if that was the plan. I looked to the dugout and stuck with the plan.” Unfortunately for Cole, the plan didn’t work as intended.
The intentional walk backfired immediately. Devers’ free pass sparked a three-run inning for the Red Sox, with Masataka Yoshida delivering a ground-rule RBI double and Wilyer Abreu driving in two more runs with a single. Suddenly, a Yankees lead became a Red Sox advantage, and Cole’s day quickly unraveled from there.
Gerrit Cole’s performance after the intentional walk was shaky at best. By the time he was pulled in the fifth inning, the damage had been done—seven runs allowed on five hits, three walks, and three hit batters. His previously stellar control and command deserted him as the Red Sox lineup capitalized on every mistake.
In the fifth inning, Devers once again delivered a critical blow to Cole. With the bases loaded, he ripped a two-RBI double into the gap, extending Boston’s lead to 5-1. The Yankees ace, who had entered the game with a no-hitter intact through three innings, was suddenly exiting the mound after one of his worst outings in recent memory.
Boone later admitted that the decision to walk Devers could have been communicated more clearly. “Once we scored the run, my preference would have been to attack him,” Boone said. “I didn’t communicate that well enough. I think Gerrit was a little indecisive out there and rolled with it, but in the end, we didn’t get enough outs from there.”
In the Red Sox clubhouse, Devers was a central figure in the post-game discussions. Manager Alex Cora reiterated his belief that Gerrit Cole intentionally hit Devers in the first inning, doubling down on his earlier comments. “He doesn’t wanna face him. That’s the bottom line,” Cora stated. “He told us with the intentional walk that the first at-bat, he hit him. We’ll leave it at that. … We took exception to that because he was loud and clear that he didn’t want to face him.”
The Yankees-Red Sox rivalry is one of the most storied in sports, and the Cole-Devers dynamic has added an intriguing new layer to it. For years, Devers has been a thorn in Gerrit Cole’s side, consistently finding success against the Yankees ace, whether by driving in runs or getting on base. The two have faced off many times, with Devers often coming out on top.
Saturday’s game, however, marked a new chapter in their rivalry. Gerrit Cole, despite his best efforts, couldn’t contain Devers—whether by pitching to him or by choosing to walk him. It was a rare breakdown for a pitcher of Cole’s caliber, who had allowed just seven earned runs in his previous seven starts combined.
The tension between the teams reached a boiling point later in the game when Red Sox starter Brayan Bello appeared to retaliate, throwing behind Yankees captain Aaron Judge. The Yankees hit Devers again in the ninth inning, this time with Tim Hill on the mound, leading to a strong reaction from the Boston dugout.
Ultimately, Gerrit Cole’s day ended in frustration, and for the Yankees, the loss brought an end to a three-game winning streak. Despite the high stakes and the controversy, one thing was clear—Rafael Devers continues to be a problem that Gerrit Cole and the Yankees have yet to solve.
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