NEW YORK (AP) — New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone says he did not communicate effectively when ace Gerrit Cole intentionally walked Boston's Rafael Devers with one out and no one on base in the fourth inning.
“I’m not going to go back and litigate everything that was done and not said,” Boone said before Sunday's series finale. “At the end of the day, I certainly pride myself on communicating at a really high level and yesterday we didn’t do it well enough and that falls on me. So we’re going to learn from it. We’re going to grow from it and hopefully make sure we can eliminate those gray areas.
“Can’t always do it but eliminate those gray areas as much as possible and ultimately that falls on me to make sure we’re buttoned up in that sense all the time.”
Having held the first 10 batters hitless and with the Yankees holding a 1-0 lead Saturday, Cole issued his first intentional walk since Sept. 12, 2017. Devers stole second and scored in a three-run inning. Devers hit a two-run single in a four-run fifth that sent the Red Sox to a 7-1 victory.
After the game, Boone termed it “a little overthinking” and said he and Cole had discussed being more aggressive in the use of intentional walks. Cole said he talked about the possibility with pitching coach Matt Blake while in the tunnel before the fourth, viewing the strategy as a way to get a starter to go deeper into the game on a day when New York’s bullpen was thin.
In between Boone and Cole’s comments, Austin Wells said wasn’t made aware of the plan, though Boone noted catchers typically are not involved in intentional walk discussions.
“Austin’s game planning is involved on how we’re attacking, how we’re getting out, what pitches he’s calling and stuff,” Boone said. “So those are a lot of times in the moment decisions that happen from the dugout that you’re getting the attention of the catcher."
Cole allowed seven runs, his most since June 9, 2022. He hit a career-high three batters and left after 4 1/3 innings.
Cole retired nine of his first 10 batters, allowing his only batter to reach when Devers was hit on a cutter in the first inning that Boston manager Alex Cora felt was intentional, which Cole denied. Before the rivals concluded their season series, Cora said he conveyed a similar message when he spoke with Boone after Saturday’s game.
“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.”
New York’s earliest bases-empty intentional walks had been in the sixth inning: to the Philadelphia Athletics’ Al Simmons by Roy Sherid leading off on Sept. 22, 1930, and to Washington’s Frank Howard by Fritz Peterson with two outs on April 22, 1970.
AP MLB: https://www.apnews.com/hub/MLB
Boston Red Sox's Rafael Devers smiles after hitting a two-run single during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole reacts after Boston Red Sox's Masataka Yoshida, of Japan, hit a two-run single during the fifth inning of a baseball game Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
New York Giants (2-12) at Atlanta (7-7)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, Fox
BetMGM NFL Odds: Falcons by 8 1/2.
Against the spread: Giants 4-10; Falcons 6-8.
Series record: Falcons lead 14-12.
Last meeting: Falcons beat the Giants 17-14 on Sept. 26, 2021, in East Rutherford, N.J.
Last week: Giants lost to the Ravens 35-14; Falcons beat the Raiders 15-9.
Giants offense: overall (29), rush (18), pass (30), scoring (32)
Giants defense: overall (T21), rush (31), pass (7), scoring (20)
Falcons: overall (9), rush (12), pass (6), scoring (20)
Falcons defense: overall (20), rush (13), pass (24), scoring (20)
Turnover differential: Giants minus-8; Falcons minus-7.
WR Malik Nabers had his third double-digit catch game of the season against the Ravens and joined Odell Beckham Jr., Jaylen Waddle and Brock Bowers as the only rookies in NFL history with three games of 10-or-more receptions. The No. 6 overall pick in the draft, Nabers has 90 catches for 901 yards and is two shy of breaking the Giants rookie record of 91 held by Beckham (2014) and Saquon Barkley (2018).
QB Michael Penix Jr. will make his first career start after the Falcons benched 13-year veteran Kirk Cousins. Penix, the Heisman Trophy runner-up at Washington in 2023, was the No. 8 pick in this year's draft but wasn't expected to land the starting job so soon. The timetable ramped up dramatically when Cousins threw nine interceptions and just one touchdown over the past five games. After pulling out an ugly 15-9 win at Las Vegas, where it became clear that the Falcons had lost confidence in their passing game, the decision was made to switch to Penix.
Atlanta's defensive front vs. Giants offensive line. After managing a league-low 10 sacks through their first 11 games, the Falcons have turned up the pressure with 13 sacks in three games since their bye week. Eight players have notched sacks during that span, led by OLB Kaden Elliss and DE Arnold Ebiketie with three apiece. With Drew Lock set to return as New York's quarterback after missing last week with a heel injury, the Falcons will be looking to bring the heat against a team that has allowed 45 sacks, tied for seventh most in the NFL.
Giants: QB Tommy DeVito, who started last week in place of Lock, is out of concussion protocol and should be the backup. … G Aaron Stinnie (concussion), LB Patrick Johnson (knee) and LB Bobby Okereke (back) are out. ... CB Greg Stroman (shoulder/shin) is doubtful. .. New York is hopeful CB Deonte Banks (ribs) can return after sitting out the last three games.
Falcons: K Younghoe Koo was placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed issue, knocking him out for the rest of the regular season and putting his future with the team in doubt. Koo had been one of the league's most reliable kickers, but he has missed a career-high nine field-goal attempts this season. ... The Falcons brought in Riley Patterson to take Koo's spot. WR Casey Washington (concussion) is out.
The Falcons have won three straight in the series. ... New York's most recent win over the Falcons was a 30-20 triumph in 2014. ... The Giants' most recent win in Atlanta was a 31-10 blowout in 2007. ... The teams have met once in the playoffs, with New York rolling to a 24-2 wild-card win during the 2008 season. ... The first win in Falcons' history was a 27-16 victory over the Giants at Yankee Stadium during Atlanta's inaugural season in 1966.
The Giants tied their franchise record for consecutive losses at nine last weekend. They have done it three times in their 100-year history, the most recent time in 2019. … Lock passed for 313 yards, threw two TDs and ran for one for Denver in 2020 in his only career start against the Falcons. … RB Tyrone Tracy ranks second among rookies with 695 yards rushing. He has scored a TD in his past three road games. … WR Wan’Dale Robinson has a career-high 71 receptions. .. Burns has his eighth sack of the season last week and became the sixth player since 2000 with at least 7 1/2 sacks in each of his first six seasons. He had two sacks in his most recent game against the Falcons, playing for the Panthers in 2023. … ILB Micah McFadden has a career-high 102 tackles. … Penix was among a record-tying six QBs taken in the first round of the 2024 draft. He is the fifth member of that group to earn a start, ahead of only Minnesota's J.J. McCarthy, who won't play until 2025 because of a knee injury. ... Falcons RB Bijan Robinson rushed for a career-high 125 yards on 22 carries against Las Vegas. That gave the second-year back the first 1,000-yard season of his young career, pushing him to 1,102 yards. ... Robinson has topped 100 yards in three of the past five games, and he has at least 20 carries in four of the past five games as the Falcons turned away from their passing game amid Cousins' struggles. ... Elliss has a career-high 124 tackles after making 11 stops at Las Vegas. ... OLB DeAngelo Malone has his first two sacks of the season against the Raiders. ... P Bradley Pinion had four punts downed inside the 10, including two inside the 5, in the Monday night win.
Robinson is a good bet to keep getting plenty of carries and rushing yards, especially with the Falcons breaking in a new quarterback. He's also an option in the passing game, providing a safe outlet for short-to-medium passes that would further lessen the burden on Penix.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
FILE - Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. warms up before an NFL football game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Kansas City Chiefs, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Malik Harrison (40), cornerback Desmond King II (35) and linebacker Chris Board (49) tackle New York Giants wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson (17) during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) greets Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Desmond Ridder (10) after an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Chris Board (49) and cornerback Marlon Humphrey (44) tackle New York Giants tight end Daniel Bellinger (82) during the third quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
FILE - Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. warms up prior to an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker, File)
