Steven van de Velde, Olympic beach volleyball player convicted of rape, advances to round-of-16

PARIS (AP) — Dutch Olympian Steven van de Velde, who was convicted in 2016 of raping a 12-year-old girl in England, advanced to the knockout round of the beach volleyball tournament on Friday, even with a loss in the final match of pool play.

Van de Velde and Matthew Immers will play in the round of 16 on Sunday or Monday. An opponent has not been determined.

Van de Velde, 29, served 13 months in prison after his 2016 rape conviction. Although victims advocates, lawmakers and fans have called for him to be banned from the Olympics, the IOC has said it was powerless to stop the Netherlands from sending an athlete who qualified in the usual way.

Van de Velde again did not walk through the mix zone to address the media on Friday, something typically required of all Olympians. Immers said his partner’s mood was good.

“We’re making the best of it, and we’re really happy at the end of the match. So we said to each other, ‘OK, did we enjoy this moment?’” Immers said. “We knew before the match we gave everything and we said to each other, ‘Yes, we gave everything.’ And that’s what we want to do every game, give everything and play our game.”

The Dutch lost in straight sets to Tokyo gold medalists Anders Mol and Christian Sorum on Friday, with fans again booing and whistling at Van de Velde on every serve. Norway's 21-16, 21-19 victory was sealed when Van de Velde served long on match point, drawing hoots and whistles from the crowd.

The Dutch finished with a 1-2 record in pool play, winning the three-way tiebreaker because of a higher ratio of sets won and lost.

“We lost the match, but we’re second in the pool,” Immers said. “It was against the Norwegians, so we lost close. But overall, I think we played really good.”

In other action at Eiffel Tower Stadium on Friday, Americans Chase Budinger and Miles Evans lost to Spain in straight sets to finish third in their group. They will need to win a “lucky loser” match to reach the round of 16.

The U.S. women's team of Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes beat Germany in the final match of the night, also in straight sets. The reigning world champions won their pool with a 3-0 record; the other U.S. women's team, Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth, also finished 3-0 to advance to the knockout round as a pool-winner.

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

A general view of a beach volleyball match as seen from the Eiffel Tower, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. (Eloisa Lopez/Poool Photo via AP)

Evandro Goncalves Oliveira Junior and Arthur Diego Mariano Lanci of Brazil celebrate winning the beach volleyball match as seen from the Eiffel Tower, during the 2024 Summer Olympics, in Paris, France, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. (Eloisa Lopez/Poool Photo via AP)

US' Kelly Cheng, left, and Sara Hughes celebrate during the women's pool C beach volleyball match between USA and Germany at Eiffel Tower Stadium at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

US' Sara Hughes eyes the ball during the women's pool C beach volleyball match between USA and Germany at Eiffel Tower Stadium at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

US' Sara Hughes eyes the ball during the women's pool C beach volleyball match between USA and Germany at Eiffel Tower Stadium at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Netherlands' Steven Van De Velde hits the ball during the men's pool B beach volleyball match between Norway and Netherlands at Eiffel Tower Stadium at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Netherlands' Steven Van De Velde reacts during the men's pool B beach volleyball match between Norway and Netherlands at Eiffel Tower Stadium at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Netherlands' Steven Van De Velde hits the ball during the men's pool B beach volleyball match between Norway and Netherlands at Eiffel Tower Stadium at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Netherlands' Steven Van De Velde hits the ball during the men's pool B beach volleyball match between Norway and Netherlands at Eiffel Tower Stadium at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Netherlands' Steven Van De Velde hits the ball during the men's pool B beach volleyball match between Norway and Netherlands at Eiffel Tower Stadium at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

Netherlands' Steven Van De Velde hits the ball during the men's pool B beach volleyball match between Norway and Netherlands at Eiffel Tower Stadium at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

NEW YORK (AP) — Gerrit Cole stuck out four fingers on his pitching hand, then pointed toward first base as Rafael Devers looked on incredulously. Having held the first 10 Red Sox batters hitless, the New York Yankees ace handed Boston's slumping star an intentional walk with no one on base.

Boston then walked all over Cole and the Yankees.

Devers scored in a three-run fourth inning and hit a two-run single in a four-run fifth that rallied the Red Sox over New York 7-1 on Saturday.

“They grabbed the momentum. It inspired them,” Cole said. “I think, looking back, it’s the wrong move.”

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he and Cole discussed in the leadup to the game being more aggressive in the use of international walks — Cole hadn't issued one in seven years. Cole said he talked out the possibility with pitching coach Matt Blake while in the tunnel before the fourth inning, viewing it as a way to get the starter deeper into the game on a day when the Yankees bullpen was thin.

Yankees catcher Austin Wells wasn't made aware of the plan.

“I was a bit caught off guard,” he said. “Thought he had some good momentum.”

Wells didn't think about trying to get Cole to reverse his decision.

“We’re just kidding. We don’t actually walk him," Wells proposed. “I don't know if that’s a thing.”

Cole and Boone both took an unusually long time before speaking with reporters after the game.

“Just a rough day," Cole said.

Cole (6-5) allowed seven runs, his most since June 9, 2022. He hit a career-high three batters and left after 4 1/3 innings.

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

Cole retired nine of his first 10 batters, allowing his only batter to reach when he hit Devers with a cutter in the first.

“I felt like the first at-bat he hit him on purpose,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “He doesn’t want to face him. That’s the bottom line. He told us with the intentional walk that the first at-bat he hit him.”

At the time of the intentional walk, the Yankees led 1-0 behind Gleyber Torres' third-inning RBI single.

“Once we scored the run my preference would have been let’s attack them. But, obviously, I didn’t communicate that well enough,” Boone said.

Starting with the intentional walk, 10 of 12 batters reached against the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner.

"It was just odd," Boston's Triston Casas said of Cole's decision.

Devers entered 14 for 41 (.316) with eight homers and 15 strikeouts against Cole, including the postseason.

“Obviously, Raffy's had some success against him, something that he’s also got to get through, too, making sure he understands, hey, the next 40 or 50 at-bats in my career against him I might have massive success because I’m Gerrit Cole," Boone said. "But there is a psychological component to all that.”

Devers stole second and Masataka Yoshida hit an opposite-field RBI double into the left-field corner for Boston’s first hit, tying it at 1. Wilyer Abreu followed with a two-run single for a 3-1 lead, and Casas bounced into an inning-ending double play.

“If I make pitches after that and I continue to execute at a high level, then the plan works,” Cole said. “But evidently the plan didn’t work. So I need to make better pitches afterwards in order for it to work.”

New York's earliest bases-empty intentional walks had been in the sixth inning: to the Philadelphia Athletics’ Al Simmons by Roy Sherid leading off on Sept. 22, 1930, and to Washington’s Frank Howard by Fritz Peterson with two outs on April 22, 1970.

Trevor Story singled leading off the fifth on Saturday and stole second, Danny Jansen walked and Enmanuel Valdez flied out as Story took third. Jarren Duran was hit by a pitch, loading the bases, and Devers lined a knuckle-curve into right for a 5-1 lead. Tyler O’Neill was hit by a pitch and Yoshida chased Cole with a two-run single.

“Obviously, because it backfired a little bit I think we all wish we could go the other way on certain things,” Boone said. “But at the end of the day, we didn’t make pitches when we had opportunities and it burned us today.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

New York Yankees' Gerrit Cole throws during the third inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)