Rafael Devers on Cole’s start: “I never expected that from him”

Rafael Devers on Gerrit Cole

The Boston Red Sox beat the New York Yankees 7 to 1 yesterday, with Gerrit Cole going for the Yankees. Many assume this game was just a good day for the Red Sox offense, which still has postseason aspirations. However, everyone is talking about the dynamic between Cole and Rafael Devers coming out of this game.

It is well documented that Rafael Devers has Cole’s number with a .350 AVG, 9 XBH, and 1.410 OPS over their respective careers. Cole’s start was very bizarre, as he plunked Devers in the first inning, Intentionally walked him in the fourth, and then gave up a 2-run single to Devers in the fifth. Cole would be billed for seven runs, three hit batters, and only two strikeouts in 4.1 innings.  

Devers spoke to reporters through translator Carlos Villoria Benitez, per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “He’s a Hall of Famer and we know the type of pitcher that he is. I never expected that from him but at the same time, it gave us the chance to score some runs.” 

Saying that Cole panicked is nothing short of an understatement. When was the last time we saw an ace pitcher who wanted nothing to do with a hitter? Although Cole’s case, he has 15 career strikeouts in 40 at-bats against Devers. It seems more to be a mentality toward facing Devers. Instead of trusting the stuff that has got him to where he is today, he has chosen to avoid facing him altogether if he can. To his credit, he can acknowledge that Devers gives him fits.

“Only he knows what happened out there,” Devers said, per The Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams. “I just go out there and try to do the best I can. But at the same time, I also know how he feels about me and that’s something that makes me proud and happy.” 

With only two weeks left in the regular season, Devers and the Red Sox need to capitalize on every opportunity. They’re still 3.5 games behind the Twins for the final wild-card spot, with a big weekend series against them approaching. Every game for many teams is a must-win. Maybe this is the start of a hot streak for the Red Sox, and for Yankee fans’ sake, let’s hope this is only an outlier from their superstar pitcher.

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