Major League Baseball has decided not to discipline Red Sox Manager Alex Cora after his comments suggesting that Boston intentionally threw at Yankees star Aaron Judge over the weekend, according to multiple reports. The league investigated the matter over the last two days and spoke with Cora about his comments.
“No announcement of a suspension is forthcoming,” a source told MassLive.com.
On Sunday, Cora seemed to acknowledge that Red Sox right-hander Brayan Bello tried to plunk Judge in the sixth inning of Saturday’s game in retaliation for Gerrit Cole hitting Rafael Devers with a first-inning pitch that the Red Sox believed to be intentional. With Judge leading off in the sixth, Bello threw a 97.4 mph behind him, missing the massive outfielder.
“(The matter) was closed yesterday, like around the sixth inning,” Cora said Sunday morning. “We had our chance. It didn’t happen. We have to move on.”
Informed of Cora’s comments after Sunday’s Yankees win, New York Manager Aaron Boone seemed to take exception while noting he expected the league to look into it.
“Yeah, that’s not allowed,” Boone told reporters. “That’s for somebody else to deal with. So we’re finished playing with them for now. So we’re on to Seattle now. But you can’t do that.”
After Saturday’s game, Cora made it clear the Red Sox were upset about Devers being hit by Cole in the first inning. The manager said that in the mind of the Red Sox, any doubt was erased when Cole – who Devers has hit hard throughout his career – made the curious decision to intentionally walk Devers with the bases empty and no outs in the fourth inning.
“I wasn’t surprised at all because I felt like in the first at-bat, he hit him on purpose,” Cora said late Saturday. “He doesn’t want to face him. That’s the bottom line. We took exception to that because it was loud and clear he didn’t want to face him. After the intentional walk, we were like, ‘That’s what happened.’”
Boone responded by saying Cole “definitely didn’t throw at” Devers. But an angry Cora was adamant in the visitors clubhouse after the game.
“It was intentional,” Cora said. “I’m not going to back off. That was intentional.”
PIRATES: Pittsburgh promoted infielder/outfielder Nick Yorke to the major leagues on Monday and optioned infielder Alika Williams to Triple-A Indianapolis.
Rated the club’s No. 6 prospect by MLB Pipeline, Yorke was acquired from the Red Sox on July 29 in exchange for right-handed pitcher Quinn Priester. Yorke, who started the 2024 season with the Portland Sea Dogs before getting promoted to Triple-A Worceste, was hitting .355 in 40 Triple-A games since the trade. Overall, Yorke hit .303 with 12 home runs, 72 RBI and an .834 OPS in 123 minor league games this season.
“When I showed up, they told me to play hard, show up on time, and that they would stay out of my way,” Yorke told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette last weekend prior to his promotion. “They said they would stay out of my way but help with whatever they could. It’s been cool.”
Yorke, 22, was selected 17th overall by the Red Sox in the 2020 draft. While he primarily played second base during his time in the Red Sox organization, Yorke has also seen time at shortstop, third base and in the outfield.
GUARDIANS: All-Star left fielder Steven Kwan was placed on the 10-day injured list because of mid-back inflammation, an injury that may have contributed to the leadoff hitter’s second-half slump.
The team also recalled outfielder Myles Straw from Triple-A Columbus and designated pitcher Carlos Carrasco for assignment.
Kwan’s issue has kept him out of the lineup since Sept. 12.
After leading MLB with a .352 average before the All-Star break, Kwan is hitting only .201 in the second half for the AL Central leaders.
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