New York Yankees ace and "430 billion man" Gerrit Cole (34) left a regret by pitching like a coward who did not match his status and value. It was a strategy to prepare for criticism, but the result was also the worst.

Cole lost five games (6 wins) in the season with five hits, six outs (three walks), two strikeouts and seven runs in four ⅓ innings against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium in New York, New York, on the 15th (Korea time).메이저놀이터

The New York Yankees allowed the Baltimore Orioles, second in the American League East, to chase by 2.5 games with 86 wins and 63 losses as the ace call collapsed in vain.

The atmosphere of the game shifted to Boston for a moment. With one out in the top of the fourth inning when the Yankees were leading 1-0, Cole did not throw a single pitch to Rafael Devers, sending him to four pitches on purpose. When Devers stepped in the batter's box, he spread his four fingers and gave a receive call to go to the first base. He looked at Cole once, looked at the referee, threw his bat and headed to the first base again.

Devers was a very strong opponent for Cole. Prior to the game, Devers had a batting average of 0.333 (13 hits in 39 times at bat), eight homers and 18 RBIs, and a slugging percentage of 0.974 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 1.370 OPS. Notably, Cole's eight homers were overwhelming, as he was twice the runner-up (four homers). Asked at a press conference for Hispanic Heritage Day at Yankee Stadium recently, Cole said, "Rafael Devers" without hesitation.

Even considering Devers is a natural enemy, the decision has become a hot topic of conversation in the U.S. The New York Post described the decision as an "a range intentional walk" and said, "The decision was shocking. The aftermath was more so."

There were several reasons why the intentional pitches felt shocking. Given the situation, there was no reason to intentionally throw four pitches. The Yankees had already won three consecutive games, including two consecutive games against the Boston Red Sox. Cole was also a no-hitter for three ⅓ innings except for hitting Devers in the top of the first inning. Even after hitting Devers, he handled Tyler O'Neill with a double play to end the inning without losing a point and even received a run support in the bottom of the third inning.

It was an intentional four pitches that came out under such circumstances, which made it all the more understandable. "The timing of free pass (intentional four pitches) was really strange because he allowed only one runner (deverse) in the first three innings," said MLB.com , the official website of the Major League Baseball. "The previous record was intentional four pitches in the sixth inning by Al Simmons in 1930 and Frank Howard in 1970.

Moreover, Cole was the most expensive starting pitcher in the Major League before signing Shohei Ohtani's contract with a contract worth 324 million U.S. dollars. At the same time, he was the ace of the New York Yankees. Such an ace player was weak against the central hitter of rival Boston in front of home fans.

The result was also abysmal. Devers got on base with the first base after four pitches on purpose, and immediately stole second base. Ryu gave up a walk to Tyler O'Neill and Masataka Yoshida had a double to left field to tie the game 1-1. He even gave up a timely two-run single to Willier Abreu. He gave up Tristan Casas a double play, but that was not the end of it.

In the top of the fifth inning, Trevor Story allowed a hit to the right and a stolen base to the second base. Danny Jansen walked a walk and Jaren Duran got on base with a pitch, resulting in a rematch between Cole and Devers. Cole faced Devers properly this time, but after two pitches, Cole hit a timely two-run single to right. Then, commentators in the local media said, "Cole is really stuck with Devers." Cole hit O'Neill and allowed Masataka another two-run single, allowing a whopping seven runs and replacing Tim Meijah to end the game.

After the game, Cole said, "The team was concerned about a thin bullpen and wanted to run the game as efficiently as possible." The Yankees decided that it would be more efficient for Devers to intentionally send the ball out on four pitches than to keep chasing it.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone also reportedly agreed to use four pitches on purpose in some situations. However, there were disagreements about the situation. After the game, Boone would have said, "Let's go more aggressive when we scored (three times). Cole was a little indecisive and the game went wrong." Cole did not make an excuse, saying, "I'm sure I made a mistake."