Gerrit Cole’s performance in the four games he played since returning from the injured list to start the season has hardly merited the unanimous Cy Young Award he won in 2023 (the first of his career).
The Yankees hit four home runs — three by rookie Ben Rice — in a 14-4 thumping at the Stadium on Saturday, but Cole couldn’t complete the fifth inning in another losing effort against arch-rival Rafael Devers.
“It was really hot today and I struggled at times to get the ball under my skin, but I honestly thought I pitched pretty well,” Cole said. “My pitch count was up, but I still made a lot of good pitches. I tried to throw them as well as I could, but it was a struggle.”
Cole threw 90 pitches for two consecutive innings, but gave up three runs in the third inning on hits by Devers (his 1,000th career hit), Yoshida Masanao, and Reese McGuire, but recovered in the fourth inning by striking out three batters in a row.
After striking out four straight and adding his eighth of the game, Devers smashed Cole’s 1-1 fastball over the wall to put Boston up 4-3.
Devers is batting .333 (13-for-39) with eight home runs and 18 RBIs in 15 games against Cole, more than twice as many homers against the $324 million right-hander over his 12-year career than any other MLB player.
“As I’ve said many times before, he’s not an easy guy to hit,” Devers said through a translator. “I don’t feel very comfortable going against him. I know what kind of pitcher he is. He’s one of the best pitchers out there. But at the same time, I’ve had good hits against him.”
Manager Aaron Boone replaced Cole with left-hander Tim Hill, who gave up four earned runs, seven hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings.
The six-time All-Star has a 6.75 ERA in 17 1/3 innings over his first four starts since hitting the disabled list, with his longest outing coming last Sunday in Toronto, when he gave up one run over five innings.
“I thought Gerrit played OK. I thought he pitched pretty well,” Boone said. “I felt really good and I think getting up to bat against Gerrit in those first few innings helped.”
“I think he threw 40-plus pitches in the second inning and 60-plus in the third inning, and I think that definitely affected him. But he made a lot of really good pitches and I thought he was capable. … But they tired him out and outlasted him a little bit and got him out of there.” [for] “The day gets shorter.”
