Red Sox, Yankees Start Season In Explosive Fashion On Opening Day
BOSTON (CBS) -- The last time Gerrit Cole saw the Red Sox, it was a bit of a nightmare for him. Given a chance for some redemption on Opening Day on Friday, the Yankees' ace ... had a tough time yet again.
Cole, looking to shake off his two-inning outing in the Yankees' Wild Card Game loss in Boston last October, had a bear of a time recording his first out on Friday against the Red Sox. Actually, he initially had a lot of trouble throwing a strike.
Kiké Hernández dug in to start the season for the Red Sox, and he didn't have to do anything at all, standing by idly as Cole missed the strike zone with four consecutive pitches.
Rafael Devers then stepped to the plate, and -- as one does after the previous hitter walks on four pitches -- he forced Cole to throw a strike. Cole did succeed in that endeavor, splitting the plate with a 99 mph heater. Cole threw a fastball on the upper edge of the strike zone with his next pitch, too, but unfortunately for him, Devers was able to barrel it up and send it high and deep out of the yard in right field, promptly giving Boston a 2-0 lead.
Raffy and the @RedSox waste no time. #OpeningDay pic.twitter.com/THDb0p0i1P
— MLB (@MLB) April 8, 2022
Up next was Xander Bogaerts, who turned on a 2-1 breaking ball and sent a line drive with a 111.4 mph exit velocity screaming into left field. That shot hit the wall, and it was hit so hard that Bogaerts had to hold up at first base. But he came around to score just four pitches later, when J.D. Martinez sent an opposite-field line drive into the right field corner. Bogaerts came all the way around to score, and Boston was up 3-0.
Xander Bogaerts doubles in another run and the Red Sox extend their lead to 3-0! pic.twitter.com/TqT3Jjjk1E
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 8, 2022
Having allowed three runs on three hits and a walk in short order, Cole finally recorded his first out with his 18th pitch of the outing, inducing a tapper back to the mound from Alex Verdugo. Cole then got Trevor Story to pop out and Bobby Dalbec to strike out swinging to end the inning without further damage.
That all came after Cole was apparently perturbed with a slight delay to the start of the game.
Just before Billy Crystal threw out the first pitch, Cole seemed PISSED about the start time getting slightly delayed pic.twitter.com/rDuvkVmWl4
— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) April 8, 2022
It was an all-out party for the Red Sox to start the year, but that was dampened a bit in the bottom of the first, when Nathan Eovaldi surrendered a single to Aaron Judge and a long bomb to Anthony Rizzo to quickly cut that Boston lead to 3-2.
Let's get down to Rizzness. pic.twitter.com/i7mIGD7mUz
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 8, 2022
That dinger came off the bat at 110.4 mph and traveled 414 feet. Rizzo entered the game with a .556 average in his career against Eovaldi, and that shot only improved those numbers.
After a long offseason for both teams, it was quite the fireworks show for the historic rivals in the first inning of the 2022 season.
Cole did settle down after that first inning, but he lasted just four innings, having allowed three runs on three hits and a walk while striking out three batters. The Yankees tied the game in the bottom of the fourth inning, taking Cole off the hook for a potential loss.