Boston Red Sox Japanese forward Masataka Yoshida gestures to teammates after hitting a two-run single in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in New York.
15:41 JST, September 15, 2024
NEW YORK (AP) — Rafael Devers’ intentional walk of Gerrit Cole with no one on base powered a three-run fourth inning, and Devers added a two-run single in Boston’s four-run fifth inning that led the Red Sox to a 7-1 victory over the New York Yankees on Saturday.
Cole (6-5), the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, had allowed no hits and was leading 1-0 when he walked Devers with one out in the fourth inning. Boston’s lone runner up to that point had been Devers, who was hit by a pitch in the first inning and retired on a double play.
“I had a feeling he hit him on purpose in the first at bat,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “He doesn’t want to face him. That’s the bottom line. He told us with the intentional walk that he hit him on the first at bat.”
After retiring nine of his first 10 batters, Cole allowed 10 of the next 12 to reach base. The 34-year-old right-handed pitcher allowed seven runs, his most since June 9, 2022. He struck out a career-high three batters and left after 4 1/3 innings.
Brayan Bello (14-7) gave up one run and four hits in 5 1/3 innings for the Red Sox.
Boston (75-74) moved within 3 1/2 games of Minnesota for the final AL wild card, having to beat Detroit and Seattle as well. New York (86-63) saw its AL East lead shrink to two games above second-place Baltimore
Devers entered at 14 for 41 (.316) with eight home runs against Cole, including the postseason, but was 9 for 53 (.170) with one RBI since Aug. 30.
“He surprised me,” Devers said through an interpreter. “I didn’t expect that from a future Hall of Famer and I feel like he panicked a little bit.”
Cole’s intentional walk was the pitcher’s first since joining Pittsburgh, facing Milwaukee’s Travis Shaw with runners on second and third in the third inning of a 2-2 game on September 12, 2017. Domingo Santana followed with a two-run double and scored on a single by Eric Thames to give the Brewers a 5-2 win.
“They seized the momentum. It inspired them,” Cole said. “I think, looking back, it was the wrong move.”
Masataka Yoshida of Japan of the Boston Red Sox hits a two-run single in the fifth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in New York.
Devers stole second and Masataka Yoshida hit an RBI double into the left corner for Boston’s first hit, tying the score at 1-1. Wilyer Abreu followed with a two-run single for a 3-1 lead and Triston Casas doubled to end the inning.
The Yankees’ first international base hits without runners on either base hit came in the sixth inning: on September 22, 1930, by Roy Sherid to lead off Al Simmons of the Philadelphia Athletics, and on April 22, 1970, by Fritz Peterson with two outs by Frank Howard of Washington.
Trevor Story singled in the first inning and stole second. Danny Jansen walked and Enmanuel Valdez flew out as Story took third. Jarren Duran was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and Devers knuckle-curved to right for a 5-1 lead. Tyler O’Neill was hit by a pitch and Yoshida chased Cole with a two-run single.
Cole is 5-6 with a 6.06 ERA in 15 starts against the Red Sox for the Yankees. At the time of the intentional walk, the Yankees led 1-0 behind Gleyber Torres’ RBI single in the third inning.
“Once we got the run, I would have preferred to attack them. But I obviously didn’t communicate that well enough,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
Zach Penrod, a 27-year-old left-hander, made his major league debut for Boston in the eighth inning, replacing Josh Winckowski on Aaron Judge’s leadoff double. He got three outs while working around a walk, retiring Austin Wells and Jazz Chisholm Jr. Penrod’s wife, Kyla, watched the game at Yankee Stadium while holding her week-old daughter, Noa Mae.
