Gerrit Cole pitched well for the second straight game on Friday against the Rays.
However, a controversial pitch clock violation prevented Cole from pitching until the top of the second inning.
The right-hander was called for an automatic ball for an infraction that appeared to involve him not throwing his final warm-up pitch until there were 20 seconds left in the game.
Home plate umpire Quinn Walcott called a run off Cole shortly after he threw his final warm-up pitch, but Cole, Austin Wells and Aaron Boone all disputed the decision.
Cole responded violently but was calmed down by Wells before being sent off in his order.
After Cole allowed just one run over six innings for a 6-1 victory, the American League Cy Young Award winner was still upset about the call but appreciated Walcott’s reaction to his outrage.
“I [the call] “And then I lost my cool,” Cole said. “Quinn kept me cool, and I’m grateful he kept me in the game.”
He threw the first pitch of the inning to Josh Lowe, a 97 mph four-seam fastball that went to the ground.
“I was fired up,” Cole said. “I tried really hard to stay calm, but I just hit the fastball back into the ground and used up all my time.”
However, this incident did not escalate into a disruption of the game, which is a credit to manager Wells, who kept his ace calm on the mound.
“Just trying to keep him and everybody calm and keep him in the game as long as possible. [was] “If he goes out, we’re in trouble,” Wells said. “He’s a professional. He’s been at it a long time. He knows his limitations.”
Still, Wells acknowledged he was concerned Cole might be fired.
“A little bit for sure,” Wells said. “He’s been in good shape. He wants to go out there. He’s a competitor and he wants to get the call.”
