"Makes Cole and Boone look like idiots" - Fans lash out at Gerrit Cole intentionally walking Rafael Devers in Yankees' blowout loss 

Reigning AL Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole is not a big fan of pitching to his arch-nemesis Rafael Devers. Given his struggles against the Boston Red Sox slugger, Cole intentionally walked Devers with no runners on base in the fourth inning of Saturday's showdown at Yankee Stadium.

Cole's change of approach not only surprised fans at the ballpark but also Devers, who had a look at the home plate upmire before making his way toward first base.

The Yankees ace was in the middle of a no-hit bid and his unique strategy to walk Devers backfired instantly as the Red Sox picked off Cole for three runs in the inning.

Fans lashed out at the Yankees starter for walking Devers which kickstarted a damaging onslaught from the Red Sox.

"Makes Cole and Boone look like idiots."

(Image source Reddit)

"Oh wow, it's almost like giving up for no real reason other thanbeing scared is a bad idea," wrote another fan.

"C.H.U.M.P. I can never look at him the same way ever again. Now he actually does pitch the Devers and loses that battle. So you lose when you didn’t pitch to him and now you lose when you do. This is the type of stuff that can send a team into a tailspin," lashed out a Yankees fan.

Fans continued to mock Gerrit Cole for his decision:

"Such a huge letdown for no reason. Really disappointing," wrote a fan.

"Opt out and move on Bro. Most cowardly thing I've ever seen in sports," lashed a frustrated fan.

"This is so soft by Cole idc if devers owns him. He is the ace of this team and the reigning CY Young you should never be scared to face anyone."

Gerrit Cole acknowledges his mistake after Red Sox blowout

Following the 7-1 blowout loss on Saturday, ending the Yankees' two-game winning streak against their fierce rivals, Gerrit Cole realized he made a mistake by intentionally walking Rafael Devers.

“Clearly, that was a mistake,” Cole said. “I think that I bought into the plan going into it, but afterward, it was the wrong move.”

Devers, who has the most home runs by any player against Gerrit Cole, was caught off guard by the intentional walk.

“He caught me by surprise,” Devers said through an interpreter. “I didn’t expect that from a future Hall of Famer. I feel like he panicked a little bit.”

Cole's no-hit bid went up in flames after walking the three-time All-Star as he conceded seven earned runs over five hits in 4.1 innings, allowing the Red Sox to find a way back into the series with the series finale on Sunday.