In the sixth inning of Saturday's game, Red Sox starter Brayan Bello faced Aaron Judge and threw the first pitch behind his knees, missing the Yankees slugger. On Sunday, Cora appeared to admit that this was when the Red Sox were trying to even the score by hitting Judge on purpose.

Aaron Boone, who is good friends with Cora, mostly brushed off his counterparts’ remarks, chalking them up to “gamesmanship” and trying to “rally the troops” as the Red Sox fought to keep their playoff hopes alive.

When asked about Cora escaping unpunished, Yankees skipper Aaron Boone indicated that he was already past the incident and looking toward the future, though he didn't hesitate to sneak in a subtle diss at his team's arch rivals.