New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole did not get a borderline call on Friday night against the Boston Red Sox. Cole fired a 1-2 delivery to Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo that just missed the outside corner. Verdugo proceeded to club a 3-run home run later during the at-bat. Gerrit Cole would go on to finish the inning, however, he was ejected after complaining while walking back to the dugout. Verdugo shared his thoughts on the debatable pitch following the game, per MLB.com.
“It wasn’t even close,” Verdugo said. “He can complain all he wants. The goal of this game is to throw it over the white plate. He gets a lot of pitches out of the zone and, yeah, he wanted it. Big pitch, big situation, he wanted it, but the umpire got that call right.”
It is safe to say that Alex Verdugo displayed minimal sympathy for Gerrit Cole. Cole also commented on the pitch and his ejection.
“It’s obviously just an emotional moment,” Cole said. “I’m just a competitor. I’m just upset. It’s the worst pitch of the sequence. The damage there is hard to swallow.”
The Yankees ultimately won the game 5-4, but Gerrit Cole was charged with 4 runs over 6 innings despite striking out 8 hitters. Nevertheless, New York extended their AL East lead to a convincing 8.5 games over both the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays who are tied for 2nd in the division.
The Yankees already clinched a playoff berth. Gerrit Cole and New York should be able to officially clinch the AL East soon as well.
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