The New York Yankees were in the fourth inning of the third game of a four-game series against the Boston Red Sox at home. Rafael Devers was up to bat when, unexpectedly, Gerrit Cole signaled for a four-finger intentional walk, sending Devers to first base.
It’s unusual to see a pitcher of Gerrit Cole‘s caliber employ such a strategy to avoid a powerful hitter like Devers, especially with no other runners on base and just one out. Notably, Devers had faced Cole in the first inning and was hit by a pitch, which led to his initial walk to first base.
Cole, who has been with the Yankees for five seasons since joining from the Houston Astros in 2020, had his best season in New York in 2021 with a 16-8 record. However, he has yet to surpass his best ERA from his time with the Astros in 2019, where he posted a 2.50 ERA.
The decision to intentionally walk Devers did not pan out as the Yankees had hoped. Rafael Devers took advantage of a double by Masataka Yoshida to score a run. During the game on September 13, Devers managed only one hit but has not scored any runs or RBIs since September 9 against Baltimore.
Memes and Reactions to Gerrit Cole
People did not hold back on X (formerly Twitter) when it came to Gerrit Cole. The platform was flooded with comments, many accusing him of being afraid of Devers. Despite the backlash, the official MLB post indicated that the intentional walk was meant as a sign of respect from Cole toward the Boston Red Sox player.
