Alex Cora blasts Gerrit Cole for cowardly approach to Rafael Devers

The New York Yankees were gifted with an opportunity to essentially bury their bitter rivals, the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox entered this crucial four-game series sitting 4.0 games back of the third Wild Card spot with just 16 to play. They made things worse for the Red Sox, winning each of the first two games both by one skinny run. With reigning AL Cy Young award winner Gerrit Cole on the mound for the third game of the series, New York looked to win the season and give Boston another dagger.

Unfortunately for the Yankees, Cole's career-long struggles against Boston continued. He entered Saturday's action with a 4.84 ERA in 18 starts against Boston, and that only shot up after he allowed seven earned runs in just 4.1 innings of work.

To the shock of absolutely nobody, Rafael Devers was right in the middle of it. What is surprising, though, is that he was not involved in the way anyone would expect.

It appeared as if Cole, a pitcher who called Devers the Latin hitter who had given him the most trouble just days ago, wanted no part of the star third baseman. His first two at-bats showed just that, and let's just say Red Sox manager Alex Cora was not a fan of how Cole dealt with him.

Alex Cora doesn't shy away from calling out Gerrit Cole for cowardly approach to Rafael Devers

Cole began the start by getting Jaren Duran to pop out, but then he hit Devers, the next man up with a pitch. That ticked Cora off.

Cora called the hit-by-pitch intentional after the game. While there very well might have been intent, there's also reason to suggest there wasn't at that moment. Cole hit Devers with a 91.2 mph cutter. If he really wanted to hit Devers, chances are, he would've hit him with a harder four-seam fastball, and not after he threw a first-pitch strike to him.

Cole wanting no part of Devers looked as justified as ever, though in his second at-bat of the day. Despite retiring all nine batters he had faced after Devers, Cole opted to intentionally walk his nemesis with one out and nobody on in the fourth inning.

It was the ultimate sign of respect, sure, but it was also a bizarre decision. Cole, the reigning AL Cy Young award winner, shouldn't be intentionally walking anybody really, especially in the fourth inning with the bases empty. The worst thing Devers could've done was hit a solo home run to tie the game at one. Instead, Cole's decision kickstarted a game-ending rally.

The Red Sox scored three runs immediately after the walk, and tacked on four more in the fifth thanks, of course, to Devers, who knocked a two-run single.

There's no way around this. Cole's decision to intentionally walk Devers was cowardly. As for the hit-by-pitch that Cora is upset about, that's tougher to say. Again, it wasn't a fastball, it was a cutter. Cole, knowing Devers' history against him, was almost certainly just trying to jam him inside and missed his spot.

With one more game scheduled between these two bitter rivals, it'll be interesting to see what transpires.