Gerrit Cole, Rafael Devers dish on shocking Yankees' intentional walk decision
09/14/2024 05:50 PM
Most were surprised when New York Yankees star Gerrit Cole intentionally walked Boston Red Sox slugger Rafael Devers in the top of the fourth inning with one out and no one on base. The pair has a one-sided history: Across 40 at-bats, Devers is hitting .350 with eight home runs, 20 RBI and five walks. Cole explained after the game that he believed, in hindsight, it was a mistake to walk Devers intentionally, per Deesha Thosar, a FOX Sports MLB reporter.
“We had discussed, in the days prior to and during the game, strategically walking him because of the past success that he’s had.”
And when asked why he struggled after that intentional walk, Cole owned up to his mental state.
“I mentally and physically didn’t get the job done. There was some confusion after the discussion on was it the right move or not. That human element came into play and they [Red Sox] grabbed momentum and inspired them. They put good swings on good pitches. And ultimately, I had an opportunity to have success and I didn’t come through.
Gerrit Cole before this intentional walk with bases empty:
3.1 IP
0 H
0 ER
2 KAfter:
1 IP
5 H
7 ER— Underdog MLB (@Underdog__MLB) September 14, 2024
Over the next three outs, Cole allowed five hits and seven earned runs. Over the Red Sox’s first 10 batters, Cole retired nine of them and allowed 10 of the next 12 to reach base. His seven runs allowed were his highest total since June 9, 2022 and hit a career-high batters in just 4.1 IP.
The Yankees lost 7-1. They now hold a 2.5-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East.
League-best Yankees can’t afford many missteps
With MLB’s second-best run differential (+120), behind only the Milwaukee Brewers, the Yankees have one of the best all-around teams in the game. However, as Devers pointed out after the game, moments of anxiety can erode confidence.
“He caught me by surprise. I didn't expect that from a future Hall of Famer. To say it some way, he panicked a little bit.”
Earlier in the game, Cole hit Devers. Red Sox manager Alex Cora believed it to be intentional.
"He doesn't want to face him. That's the bottom line. He told us with the intentional walk that the first at-bat he hit him."
In July, manager Aaron Boone specifically talked about the matchup between Cole and Devers and how his starter would get back on track against him.
"He’s also punched his ticket a lot, and you know what, the next 30 or 40 at-bats might turn more his way…I would say over the next several years those numbers will come back to within reason," Boone said.
With 13 games left to play, the Yankees are cruising into the postseason and shouldn’t allow one misstep to alter their course.
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