Gerrit Cole ‘open to suggestions’ on how to get Rafael Devers out after Red Sox slugger hits 2 more home runs vs. Yankees ace

BOSTON — Gerrit Cole earned his eighth win of the season and against eight of the nine Red Sox hitters, he was as good as usual in the Yankees’ 6-5 win over the Red Sox, Thursday at Fenway Park.

But Rafael Devers continues to befuddle the New York ace.

Devers, who missed the last two games with an injury, walked in the first, hit a two-run home run in the third inning and a three-run shot in the fifth off of Cole. Both were no-doubters when they left that bat as Devers amassed 859 feet of home runs.

The first one came on a low slider out of the strike zone that Devers reached down and yanked over the bullpens in right. The second caught more of the plate and Devers admired it as it headed to the triangle in center field.

“I’m open for suggestions,” Cole said after the game. “He has the ability to ride the ball out at the bottom of the zone and catch up to my fastball. He’s proven that. Both pitches were pretty well executed. … It’s pretty wild he’s been able to hit every (one) there hasn’t been a miss-hit. Roll over one time. Line out one time. You’re supposed to fail seven out of 10 times in this gig. I don’t know what the deal is. We’ll just have to (pauses). We’ll just have to (shorter pause) keep at it.”

Cole shook his head after the second.

“I was like WTF man,” Cole said. “But it didn’t beat us.”

They were Devers’ fifth and sixth career home runs off of Cole. He now has three in two games this season. Devers had a two-run home run off of him in the first inning on opening day. It was the second pitch Devers faced in 2022.

Alex Cora hoped Thursday’s game would help Devers’ candidacy to start the All-Star game.

“He’s that good a player. Hopefully, he’ll start in Dodger Stadium in a few weeks. He doesn’t get caught up in the whole thing. He’s just playing baseball,” Cora said. “He’s a special player, a special hitter.”

Devers, who has 18 home runs this season, said his approach against Cole isn’t different than any other pitcher.

“I just try to look for my pitch and do damage through the zone. That’s it. Nothing special,” Devers said and later added. “Like any other pitcher I’m just trying to do damage when the pitch is in the zone.”

His six home runs are the most by any player against Cole in his career, breaking a tie with Joey Gallo, Matt Carpenter and Lucas Duda, who each have four. None of them are likely to catch up with Devers soon. Gallo and Carpenter are both on the Yankees now and Duda is out of baseball.

“That guy is just unreal. To miss a couple games and then to hit two bombs off a guy like Gerrit Cole, that’s pretty crazy,” Red Sox starter Josh Winckowski said. “He’s one of the best hitters in the game for a reason.”

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