NEW YORK -- Red Sox manager Alex Cora doubled down on the emotional impact of Saturday's testy game against the Yankees on Sunday morning, saying -- in no uncertain terms -- that he believed the drama between Gerrit Cole and Rafael Devers could be a turning point for his team.
Cora, who was adamant after Saturday's win that Cole hit Devers intentionally in the first inning before walking him intentionally in the fourth, spoke to Yankees manager Aaron Boone after the game and hinted that he had a conversation with star captain Aaron Judge as well. And while the Red Sox didn't expect things to spill over into Sunday's series finale, it's clear tensions remained high.
"We talked," Cora said. "There's two ways of seeing it: their dugout and our dugout. Like I told him, 'Put yourself in our shoes and you will understand why we feel this way.'"
The Red Sox entered Sunday trailing Minnesota by 3½ games in the American League wild card race. If they do make a miracle run toward the postseason, Cora said, Cole will be to thank.
"I was talking to a veteran today," Cora said. "If this happens, we're going to look back at yesterday and we're probably going to thank Gerrit Cole (for getting) us going. Hopefully, it happens. Hopefully we can face him in the playoffs because he will have to pitch.
"I'm not promising we're going to make it to the playoffs. But if we do, I think everybody's going to look back at Saturday. Hopefully, it happens."
The Red Sox took exception to Cole hitting Devers with a cutter in the first inning Saturday. Cora said the club was sure it was intentional. Starter Brayan Bello said Cole "showed a lot of weakness" by hitting Devers, then walking him with the bases empty and one out in the early part of a close game. Through a translator, Devers claimed Cole "panicked" by walking him instead of going after him.
Bello appeared to throw at Judge in the first-bat bat of the bottom of the sixth inning and ended up throwing behind him. Somewhat surprisingly, Cora all but acknowledged that pitch had intention behind it.
"(The matter) was closed yesterday, like around the sixth inning, Cora said. "We had our chance. It didn't happen. We have to move on."
Cora said he thought it was poetic that Devers, who entered Saturday having hit .177 with a single homer and a .478 OPS in a 21-game stretch dating back to Aug. 19, then delivered a big two-run single off Cole with the bases loaded in the fifth.
"This game has a beautiful way of taking care of stuff," Cora said. "When they hit Jarren (Duran, ahead of Devers), I'm like, 'Where are you gonna go now?' It's bases loaded and the big kid is at the plate. We expected big things.
"That's been the best swing by Raffy in like three weeks. The kid is in his worst spot in his career and he got hit, he got walked and then came up with the bases loaded and that happened.
"The kid is still special and obviously, one of the best pitchers on the planet doesn't feel comfortable facing him."