The New York Yankees took three out of four against the Boston Red Sox this weekend, but it did not come without some tension surrounding Aaron Boone, Alex Cora, and others.
It started when Gerrit Cole hit Rafael Devers on Saturday's game and then Cora believed that it was intentional. Cora indicated that the Red Sox threw at Aaron Judge in retaliation but did not connect during Saturday's game. After Sunday's 5-2 Yankees win, Cora said the situation is “a closed case.”
“Yeah,” Cora said, via Ian Browne of MLB.com. “It was closed yesterday, like, around the sixth inning, so you know, we had our chance. It didn't happen. We have to move on.”
Aaron Boone was asked about Cora's comments, indicating that the Red Sox threw at Aaron Judge in Saturday's game. He had a firm reaction to it.
“That's not allowed,” Boone said, via Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. “That's for somebody else to deal with. We're finished playing with them. We're on to Seattle.”
Aaron Judge was not too bothered by the comments and actions of the Red Sox.
“Things like that happen,” Judge said, via Kiirschner. “I know they're upset. I think three of their guys got hit. I think they're just protecting their players. That's the way this game kind of gets policed. … The biggest thing is just don't miss.”
Cora was fired up after Devers got hit, and tried to use it as a rallying cry for the Red Sox going into Sunday.
“If this happens (making the playoffs), we're going to look back at yesterday,” Cora said, via Kirschner. “We're probably going to thank Gerrit Cole for getting us going. Hopefully it happens and hopefully we can face him in the playoffs because he will have to pitch to him (Devers). Hopefully it happens. We still have a long way to go. I'm not promising that we're going to make the playoffs, but if we do, we're going to look back on Saturday.”
The Red Sox fell to 75-75 on the season and are 4.5 games back of the last wild card spot in the American League.
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Yankees look to close out division on west coast
After the Yankees won on Sunday, they moved to 87-63 overall and hold a three-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East. Boone's team will head out west for three games against the Seattle Mariners before a weekend series against the Oakland Athletics.
The Yankees will try to clinch the division on the west coast, or at least get close enough to be in position to clinch shortly after when the Orioles come to the Bronx for three games starting on Sept. 24.
It has been a tight division race, but the Yankees are in a good position to clinch the division in the remaining 12 games on the regular season schedule.
