New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole is giving an honest answer on how it feels to watch someone homer off of him. Cole looked angry when Boston Red Sox hitter Rafael Devers celebrated a home run shot against him on Saturday. Cole stared down the Red Sox slugger as he rounded the bases.
Following the game, Cole was asked about his reaction to the incident. After smashing the home run, Devers seemed to yell gleefully at the Yankees players before throwing his baseball bat down with authority.
“As a pitcher, if you don't want him to watch a home run [and] trot, then you probably shouldn't give up a home run,” Cole said, per The New York Daily News.
The moment went viral. It was the 19th home run of the season for Devers, who lifted the Red Sox to the lead in the game following that home run. The Yankees ultimately came back and won the game, scoring a total of 14 runs.
“Obviously it was a big hit for us, it put my team on top at that moment. At the same time, they did it to us before. So nobody can get mad for those reactions. It’s just baseball,” Devers said after the game through a translator, per the New York Post. “It wasn’t directed at [Verdugo]. It was something that we do towards the bullpen. Everybody who hits a home run, they salute the bullpen, so it wasn’t anything to do with him.”
Yankees searching for victories
The last laugh on Saturday obviously belongs to the Yankees, who won the game. New York snapped a four game losing streak with the victory. The team is trying to battle back from a terrible slump. The Bronx Bombers entered Saturday's game having lost 14 of its last 18 contests. The club has just three wins in the last 10 games.
The team needs Cole's arm to get back into the win column. The veteran has appeared in four games this year for the club, and it hasn't gone too well for him. He sits with a 1-1 record. He has a 6.75 ERA, which is by far the worst mark in his career. Yankees fans and management hope that number will go down with more appearances. Cole is coming back from an elbow injury, that forced him to sit out the first few months of the season.
New York had arguably the hottest start to the season of any MLB team through May. The Yankees were the first club to reach 50 wins, and seemed poised to outpace everyone else in the AL East. After this skid, the Yankees have dropped to second in the division. The Baltimore Orioles are first, and New York is now two games behind. The Yankees hold a 55-36 record.
