Red Sox's Alex Cora Blasts Yankees' Gerrit Cole on 'Intentional' HBP

It was a big win for the Red Sox on Saturday but there were ill feelings

Sep 14, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) reacts during the fifth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox came away with a victory on Saturday afternoon against the rival New York Yankees but they certainly weren't happy with the way the game went down.

Boston took on its biggest rival at Yankee Stadium with 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner Gerrit Cole on the bump for New York. The Red Sox certainly have plenty of experience facing Cole and got to him early and often in the contest.

What led to the biggest question marks was the fact that Cole decided to intentionally walk star third baseman Rafael Devers in the fourth inning of the game with the Yankees leading by a run and no one on base. The move clearly didn't work out as Boston was able to score three runs and take the lead.

The surprising intentional walk angered manager Alex Cora, though, as Devers was hit by a pitch in the first inning of the game. The intentional walk upset Cora because it showed him that the hit-by-pitch in the first inning may not have been an accident, according to MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo.

"Alex Cora: 'We took exception to that because it was loud and clear he didn’t want to face him,'" Cotillo transcribed. "After the intentional walk, we were like, ‘That’s what happened. It was intentional. I’m not going to back off. That was intentional.'"

Cole certainly has a history with Devers and has struggled to get him out. It seems like the Yankees star didn't want to face Devers on Saturday afternoon. Luckily, Devers got the last laugh and drove in a few runs off Cole en route to the blowout win.

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