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 Judge will look to build on a one-hit performance in his most recent game (1-for-3). His New York Yankees face J.T. Ginn and the Oakland Athletics on Friday at 9:40 PM ET on NBCS-CA.Find

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.