Christian Vazquez has epic message for Gerrit Cole after MLB lockout ends

Christian Vazquez called out Gerrit Cole on Instagram Live after the MLB lockout ended.

Boston Red Sox catcher Christian Vazquez cannot wait to face New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole in the batter’s box again.

Vazquez said on Instagram Live shortly after the MLB lockout finally ended, “I’ve been working out in Fort Myers, hitting live BP with the boys. I’m ready for Cole. He doesn’t want to face us right now.”

While this may have most to do with the Red Sox and the Yankees having a bitter rivalry in the AL East, keep in mind these two very important things. Vazquez is a career .294/.278/.353 hitter vs. Cole in 17 career at-bats vs. the right-handed ace. Though the power has not been there for Vazquez, he has been productive against him in a relatively small sample size over the years.

The other big thing of note is Cole is part of the Elitist Eight who served on the MLBPA executive board who voted unanimously against the agreed upon CBA. Five of the eight are represented by mega agent Scott Boras, including Cole. The bulk of the team representatives voted in favor of playing baseball, showing a massive discrepancy between the haves and have nots in MLB.

Red Sox C Christian Vazquez calls out Yankees SP Gerrit Cole over Instagram Live

Boston and New York are expected to compete in a deep AL East yet again this season. Outside of the flightless Baltimore Orioles, the four other clubs in the division stand a very real possibility of making the expanded postseason, potentially winning the East if they have the right chemistry. Tampa Bay has been the top dog recently, but the Rays do not have big pocket books to spend big.

Ultimately, any little thing or perceived slight between the Red Sox and Yankees is a good thing for baseball. This is the sport’s biggest and most storied rivalry. For as painful as the lockout was, let’s just be glad it is a thing of the past. While some fans may have different feelings about how the lockout went, seeing familiar uniforms battle in a weekend series is a good thing for all involved.

Look for the next time Vazquez steps into the batter’s box vs. Cole to be all the more interesting.