MLB franchise The New York Yankees are having a tough season. Having played over 60 games, the Yanks have won 37 and lost the rest. While struggling to maintain their reputation, the Bronx Bombers recently lost the first game of their series against their fiercest rival, the Boston Red Sox. Notably, losing the game brought humiliation for the Yankees. Even so, the Yankees’ $324 million star player, Gerrit Cole, heaped praise on the Red Sox slugger.
Moments after the Yanks lost against the team at the bottom of their division, Cole stood up for a conference. As he did so, he admired the $313.5 million star, Rafael Devers, who has shown immense talent on the diamond. However, this unexpected admiration for Devers did not sit well with baseball fans.
Gerrit Cole: an admirer of the Red Sox?
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Praising someone when they do their job right isn’t a bad thing. But praising Rafael Devers after the humiliating loss against their team has baseball fans mocking Gerrit Cole. It seems like even praising someone does not help them become a target of mockery.
After the game, Cole, in the press conference, said about Devers,?“They paid him $300 million dollars for a reason. He’s a good player, man. I haven’t come across any other player quite like him.”
"They paid him $300 million dollars for a reason. He's a good player, man. I haven't come across any other player quite like him." -Gerrit Cole on Rafael Devers
(via @YESNetwork) pic.twitter.com/F6MieJUIEy
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 10, 2023
In his 239 at-bats this season, Devers, with an average of 0.247, has hit 14 home runs. Notably, the athlete is having a solid season, garnering admiration from some of the best in the league, including Cole. However, the Yankees star’s admiration for him did not sit well with the fans. Not only did Cole’s praise for Devers make him a target of brutal mockery, but it also instigated a weird father-son relationship.
What do the fans have to say about the Yankees ace?
The majority of baseball fans agreed that Cole said the right words for Devers. However, in a sense, they also suggested that Devers is better than Cole, just as a father is better than his son.
Have a look at how the fans are reacting to Gerrit Cole’s admiration of Rafael Devers:
He knows Devers is his daddy.
— Jack (@JackinIt365) June 10, 2023
— Nyanasaur (@Nyanasaur) June 10, 2023
— Syferz ⚾️🎮 (@Syf3rz) June 10, 2023
father’s day is coming up
— ShippingUp2Boston (@ShipUp2Boston) June 10, 2023
One fan stated that Dever’s certainly wasn’t the best and that there were others who Cole perhaps hadn’t seen in action.
Gerrit Cole clearly has not faced Orioles star third baseman Gunnar Henderson
— DIDDY (@xzDIDDY) June 10, 2023
Some other fans had other opinions too, which may stand true as well!
Cole is also getting paid over $300M for a reason & it’s NOT to be Devers homerun caddy
— ♈️ 💎Ð $ĦØЩ$ƚØPPЄR 🏆🌐 (@LexAnderson_WS) June 10, 2023
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He shares a clubhouse with Judge
— Bill Putnam (@Pinstrps23) June 10, 2023
From the looks of it, the Red Sox nation won’t let Gerrit Cole easily forget this moment. After all, the Yankees and Red Sox are the fiercest rivals in MLB history.
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However, what do you think of Cole’s words for Devers? Let us know in the comments below!