Incomprehensible.
Even after Saturday's explanation, it remains unclear to the Yankees what happened with one out in the fourth inning.
Gerrit Cole, dominating the Red Sox, intentionally walked Rafael Devers with one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth inning. Manager Aaron Boone used the word “aggressive” multiple times to describe this strategy, one of the most passive moves I've ever seen on a baseball field.
While this was described as a group decision, catcher Austin Wells said he had no idea it would come to this and was not involved in any discussions on the matter. Boone said he had in fact preferred that Cole not intentionally walk the basesman, but did not want to retract that choice once Cole held up four fingers to signal for Devers to head to first base. Cole, however, said that the very situation of Jarren Duran getting an out in the top of the fourth and then intentionally walking Devers had literally been discussed the previous inning between him, Boone and pitching coach Matt Blake.
There was either poor communication (unacceptable after 149 games this season) or shirking of responsibility (unacceptable to the manager, the veteran aces, the entire team, or all of the above). In the end, it didn't matter who called the code red; it was incredibly reckless at the time, and the lack of explanation only made it worse.
The Yankees were on an uplifting note, coming off back-to-back walk-off wins in extra innings and a game-winning grand slam by Aaron Judge on Friday night, but after a 7-1 loss to the Red Sox, it seemed like the clubhouse needed crisis counselors. Boone held his press conference longer than usual, and Cole, who has always been a fast talker during previous downturns, took more than 45 minutes to get his comments across. If they were trying to keep everyone on the same page, they failed.
Cole ultimately explained that he had “just had a rough day.”
Self-inflicted roughness.
The Yankees didn't play well. They only scored one run. You might not realize it because of how long their lineup is, but they've struggled to score lately. It was another sloppy game. Alex Verdugo was out trying to turn a single into a double in the third inning, but finally got into top gear after rounding first base. Jazz Chisholm Jr. forgot how many outs he had when he was on first base in the second inning, and then got tagged out with a runner on base to tie the game in the fourth inning. Jason Dominguez was caught off guard in the seventh inning when Duran tagged up from first base.
But nothing will resonate more with people than the strange calls in the fourth inning.
The Yankees were leading 1-0 with one out. Cole had thrown 35 pitches and hadn't allowed a hit, with the only runner on base being Devers, who was hit by a pitch in the first inning. Devers has hit eight home runs against Cole, but he has also struck him out 15 times. Outside of Cole's strong pitching, Devers is 10-for-57 (.175 batting average) and has no home runs in his past 15 games.
Boone said there was talk of walking Devers in a non-traditional situation. But that's overthinking it. Why here? Even if Devers hits the ball into the elevated tracks, it's 1-1. Cole said they're short on bullpen and need to pitch deep and efficiently. Again, what does that have to do with pitching Devers there, even if Devers hits a home run?
Cole had only intentionally walked one batter, Choi Ji-Man, once since 2017, when he was with the Pirates, after Choi had homered early in Game 1 of the 2020 Division Series against Tampa Bay. This was the top of the fourth inning on Sept. 14, and Cole and the Yankees were on a roll. Why did no one understand what such a cowardly act meant? This was more predestined than it felt like a moment.
Boston was 0-for-9 on a hit by pitch before the intentional walk. They went 5-for-7 with two walks, two hit by pitch (Cole's first career hit-by-pitch three) and two stolen bases. That steal was his third of the year and his first since early July, coming from a sluggish Devers who put the Yankees to sleep. The seven runs that resulted raised Cole's ERA to 6.06 in 15 games against the Red Sox, including the playoffs. Granted, many of those were missed plays against Devers, but it still just wasn't the right time to walk them.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora suggested the intentional walk was meant to highlight that Cole had intentionally hit Devers in the first inning, but Cole, Wells and Boone all denied this, with Wells elaborating that Devers was trying to hit the ball in an “extreme spot” and that the attempt was aimed at hitting the ball in an extreme spot outside the strike zone, not trying to hit Boston's most dangerous hitter.
In the end, Cole himself was shaken by the walk, and everyone on the Yankees agreed that he gave the Red Sox a boost. The Yankees were in the midst of a winning streak and were looking to win four straight games for the first time since late July, but now they were completely worn down with just two weeks left in the season.
They made a strategic blunder because none of them, Wells, Cole or Boone, refused to do something so obviously stupid, and while everyone took responsibility after the game, no one actually took responsibility, making them sound like disinterested amateurs.
That was not permissible.
It's unforgivable.
Incomprehensible.
