NEW YORK (AP) — Rafael Devers’ intentional walk by Gerrit Cole with no one on base sparked a three-run fourth inning, and Devers added a two-run single in Boston's four-run fifth as the Red Sox beat the New York Yankees 7-1 Saturday.
Cole (6-5), the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, hadn’t allowed a hit and led 1-0 when he walked Devers with one out in the fourth. Boston’s only runner until then had been Devers, who was hit by a pitch in the first and erased on a double play.
“I felt like the first at-bat he hit him on purpose,” 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 the first at-bat he hit him.”
After retiring nine of his first 10 batters, Cole allowed 10 of the next 12 to reach base. The 34-year-old right-hander gave up seven runs, his most since June 9, 2022. He hit 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) closed within 3 1/2 games behind Minnesota for the last AL wild card, also needing to overcome Detroit and Seattle. New York (86-63) saw its AL East lead cut to two games over second-place Baltimore
Devers entered 14 for 41 (.316) with eight homers against Cole, including the postseason, but was 9 for 53 (.170) with one RBI since Aug. 30.
“He caught me by surprise,” Devers said through a translator. “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 he was with Pittsburgh and put on Milwaukee’s Travis Shaw with runners on second and third in the third inning of a 2-2 game on Sept. 12, 2017. Domingo Santana followed with a two-run double and scored on Eric Thames’ single as the Brewers won 5-2.
“They grabbed the momentum. It inspired them,” Cole said. “I think, looking back, it’s the wrong move.”
Devers stole second and Masataka Yoshida hit an opposite-field RBI double into the left-field corner for Boston’s first hit, tying it at 1. Wilyer Abreu followed with a two-run single for a 3-1 lead, and Triston Casas bounced into an inning-ending double play.
The earliest previous international walks by the Yankees with no runners on both were in the sixth inning: to the Philadelphia Athletics’ Al Simmons by Roy Sherid leading off on Sept. 22, 1930, and to Washington’s Frank Howard by Fritz Peterson with two outs on April 22, 1970.
Trevor Story singled leading off the fifth and stole second. Danny Jansen walked and Enmanuel Valdez flied out as Story took third. Jarren Duran was hit by a pitch, loading the bases, and Devers lined a knuckle-curve into 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’ third-inning RBI single.
“Once we scored the run my preference would have been let’s attack them. But, obviously, I didn’t communicate that well enough,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
Zach Penrod, a 27-year-old left-hander, made his big league debut for Boston in the eighth, replacing Josh Winckowski after Aaron Judge’s leadoff double. He got three outs while working around a walk, striking out Austin Wells and Jazz Chisholm Jr. Penrod’s wife, Kyla, watched the game at Yankee Stadium while holding week-old daughter, Noa Mae.
ATTENDANCE
A sellout crowd of 46,378 pushed the Yankees over 3 million in home attendance for the third straight season and 24th in a row other than 2020-21, which had COVID pandemic capacity restrictions. New York is at 3,008,150 with seven home games remaining. Its 16 sellouts are one more than last year and matched the 2022 total.
MOVES
Boston selected Penrod’s contract from Worcester and recalled left-hander Bailey Horn from the Triple-A farm team. Left-hander Cam Booser and right-hander Zack Kelly were optioned to Worcester after Friday night’s 5-4 loss and catcher Tyler Heineman was designated for assignment.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Red Sox: RHP Tanner Houck tentatively is slated to start Wednesday at Tampa Bay. Houck has been bothered by shoulder fatigue and was scratched Friday. He hasn’t pitched since Sept. 4 against the New York Mets.
UP NEXT
Yankees LHP Carlos Rodón (14-9) enters Sunday's series finale 0-1 in his last three starts. Boston's Kutter Crawford (8-14, 4.09 ERA) has lost five straight starts since beating Texas on Aug. 13.
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The Associated Press