Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole applauds Rafael Devers' slugs off him: "They paid him $300 million for a reason"

Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers led the way on Friday as his team went on to beat the New York Yankees 3-2 in their series opener at Yankee Stadium. Devers continued his dominance over Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole by hitting his 7th home run and 16th run off the pitcher, becoming the first player to do so. After the game, Cole acknowledged Devers' hitting prowess and was full of praise for the Dominican.

Rafael Devers has been one of the best hitters in the MLB in recent years. He was named an All-Star in the last two seasons and is also a World Series winner. Since he began his career with the Red Sox in 2017, Yankees veteran Gerrit Cole has been one his favorite pitchers to bat against, always getting the better of him in the past few years.

Gerrit Cole is a veteran pitcher who has been around in the MLB for several years now. He recently recorded his 2,000th career strikeout against the Baltimore Orioles, joining an exclusive club of veteran pitchers by achieving the feat. However, in Friday's encounter, Rafael Devers continued his historical dominance over the pitcher to help his team win. Devers came up against Cole in the top of the sixth inning and blasted off a solo homer towards the left-center field to give the Red Sox a 2-0 lead on the night. After the game, Cole acknowledged Deveres' hitting ability while talking to the press.

"They paid him $300 million for a reason. He's a good player, man," said Cole.

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Gary Phillips

@GaryHPhillips

"I wish I could answer that," Gerrit Cole said when asked why Rafael Devers has had his number.

"They paid him $300 million for a reason. He's a good player, man." #Yankees #RedSox

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"I wish I could answer that," Gerrit Cole said when asked why Rafael Devers has had his number.

"They paid him $300 million for a reason. He's a good player, man." #Yankees #RedSox

Jared Carrabis

@Jared_Carrabis

Rafael Devers truly is Gerrit Cole’s father. Cole was just what Raffy needed to get going again.

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Rafael Devers truly is Gerrit Cole’s father. Cole was just what Raffy needed to get going again. https://t.co/ATt3iCI5um

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An encouraging sight for the Red Sox as Rafael Devers homers after 16 games

Boston Red Sox infielder Rafael Devers seemed to be in a slump for the past few weeks, unable to deliver when it counted and going 16 games without hitting a home run. However, that was not the case when he faced his favorite pitcher. Devers has always been a thorn in the side of Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole and history repeated itself again on Friday. Devers went on to break his homer run drought by hitting a solo homer off the Yankees pitcher to help his team to a win in the series opener against the New York Yankees.

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