Sept. 15 – Rafael Devers was surprised when Gerrit Cole decided to intentionally walk him with the bases loaded in the fourth inning Saturday.
This strange situation ultimately led the Boston Red Sox to their first road win in two weeks and got them above .500.
They can sweep a four-game series against the AL East-leading New York Yankees on Sunday afternoon.
The Red Sox (75-74) started the series with two runs and lost by one before winning 7-1 on Saturday. Devers’ two-run single off Cole in the fifth inning highlighted Saturday’s win. Cole hit Devers with a first-inning pitch against the Yankees, which Boston manager Alex Cora believed was intentional.
“We had one of the best players on the field and we played well and won the game,” Cora said after the Red Sox ended a seven-game losing streak. “We’ve been joking around here for a while, like 15-plus times a season, and the next day they come in and win a game. Let’s find a way to win a good game tomorrow.”
Devers’ hit against Cole continued a recent modest surge by the slugger, who hasn’t hit a home run in his past 15 games since Aug. 25. He went 9-for-31 (.290) in Game 4 after going 4 for 11 in his past 11 games between Aug. 21 and Sept. 4.
“That’s what I want to do every time I get on base,” Devers said through a translator. “Today was a big two-run hit. So for me, it’s very important to help the team against one of the best pitchers in the league.”
The Yankees (86-63) are trying to win their third consecutive series after giving up five hits on Saturday to snap a three-game winning streak.
Gleyber Torres had a dozen RBI hits, but Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Austin Wells combined to hit 1 for 12 as New York got three outs and had runners on eight with 1 inch left.
“They’re a fast-hitting team. They have a lot of pace and they’ll score runs very quickly. We’ve felt that way for a while now,” Wells said.
After Cole’s bizarre performance, left-hander Carlos Rodon (14-9, 4.21 ERA) will try to post a career-high number of wins. Rodon is 0-1 with a 4.08 ERA in his last three starts since going six scoreless innings Aug. 23 against the Colorado Rockies. He allowed four runs (earned) on five hits in six scoreless innings in Monday’s 10-4 win over the Kansas City Royals.
Rodon has started in eight career games against the Red Sox and is 3-4 with a 3.88 ERA. Since joining the Yankees last season, he is 2-1 with a 4.41 ERA in three starts against Boston.
Right-hander Curt Crawford (8-14, 4.09), who has missed his last five starts because of poor run support, will take the field for the Red Sox on Sunday. Since Aug. 13, Crawford is 0-5 with a 3.68 ERA in his last five starts, while the Red Sox have not allowed more than three runs in those games.
Crawford has allowed three or fewer runs in 18 starts, including Tuesday, when he allowed three runs in 6 1/3 innings in a 5-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.
Crawford is 4-1 with a 2.83 ERA in nine career games (seven starts) against the Yankees; on July 27 the Yankees led 4 2/3 times in Boston, allowing 8 hits in an inning he pitched, allowing 5 runs.
–Visual-level media
