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White Sox' Caleb Bonemer comments on viral Gerrit Cole moment that sparked online outrage

Caleb Bonemer spoke about his infamous home run and subsequent hit-by-pitch against Gerrit Cole
ByNoah Phalen
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Oct 3, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) returns to the dugout after the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays in game one of the ALDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Oct 3, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) returns to the dugout after the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays in game one of the ALDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Of all the young talent in the White Sox organization, perhaps nobody is more exciting than Caleb Bonemer. The former second-round pick hit 37 home runs in his second full big league season and truly emerged as one of the best power-hitting prospects in all of baseball. His incredible season began with an excellent stint in Winston-Salem before his strong performance continued in Birmingham. During his Winston-Salem stint, Bonemer had a chance to face former Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole on a rehab assignment, and it turned into a viral moment. 

In his first at bat of the evening against Cole, Bonemer drilled a fastball into the left field seats for a home run. He singled his second at bat before Cole hit him with a pitch in his third plate appearance, causing a bit of an online controversy.

Caleb Bonemer is focused on business after viral moment with Gerrit Cole

Gerrit Cole is known for wearing his emotions on his sleeve, and he was obviously frustrated by being unable to retire Bonemer, so some questioned the intent of the hit-by-pitch. In an interview with Chuck Garfein this week, Bonemer spoke on the home run and subsequent hit-by-pitch for the first time. 

“I just tried to take it like any other at bat”, Bonemer said. “Luckily he kinda gave me a good fastball to hit and I put a good swing on it.” 

Later, when asked about the third at bat, which ended in a hit-by-pitch, and whether it was intentional, Bonemer laughed and said: 

“Everybody was telling me like ‘oh, you should show some emotion or say something back’ but I mean, what else can I say? I did my job and that’s that” 

It was certainly interesting to watch in real time, but the fact that Bonemer is able to laugh about it is great. We won’t ever know the true intent from Cole, but Bonemer considers it a badge of honor that he was able to get on base three times against a former Cy Young winner, rehab stint or not. It just shows that the sky’s the limit on the kind of hitter that Bonemer can be. Barring the lockout changing the schedule, the White Sox are scheduled to play the Yankees in July and September of 2027. Should Bonemer continue developing at the rate he has over the past couple years, there’s a very strong chance he could be with the big league club for those games and could get a rematch with Cole. 

The White Sox went 3-4 against the Yankees in 2026 and they should only get more competitive against the league’s best teams as the roster continues to approve. Caleb Bonemer should be a big part of that. We could get a Bonemer vs. Cole showdown again as soon as 2027, and it’ll certainly be must-see TV.

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