New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole has been one of the most dominant starters in the entire MLB ever since his emergence with the Pittsburgh Pirates back in 2013. Such is the reason why Cole was heavily sought-after during the 2019 Hot Stove season when the Yankees won the sweepstakes for his services against the Los Angeles Angels, among other teams, with a nine-year, $324 million deal.
Three years later, and it appears Cole is justified in heading east instead of playing for his hometown ballclub, with the Yankees set to face the Cleveland Guardians in the NLDS. In fact, Cole vociferously expressed his excitement in an NSFW rant that inadvertently became a shot against the Angels' inability to build a contending team around Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout.
“It’d be very nice to be living at home, playing with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. I could be spending today grilling burgers and drinking beer and gambling on football games,” Cole said, per The Athletic. “Instead, I’m here at Yankee Stadium throwing a bullpen at 10 f—ing 40 am, but we’ve got the LDS coming up, and I’m pumped.”
That was a bit harsh coming from Gerrit Cole, but alas, he's correct. The Angels have made the postseason only once in the past ten seasons, only to get swept by the Kansas City Royals in the 2014 ALDS.
It's not as if they have lacked talent. Again, the Angels have Mike Trout, who has been the undisputed best position player over the past eleven years, and Shohei Ohtani, dual-threat extraordinaire. Their ineptitude when it comes to roster-building is just inexcusable.
Meanwhile, the Yankees train keeps on rolling along. The last time they ended a season with a below .500 record was in 1992 (!), and it's this sustained success that made the Yankees such an appealing destination for Cole.
Gerrit Cole, who's slated to start Game 1 of the ALDS for the Yankees, will enter the postseason motivated to finally claim his first World Series title. Cole came close in 2019 when he was with the Houston Astros, but they fell to the Washington Nationals in the end.
And the 32-year old knows just how difficult the burden he bears is. Nonetheless, it appears he is up to the task, and the Yankees will count on Cole to pitch them deep into the playoffs while Aaron Judge, he of the record-breaking 2022 season, will be tasked to shoulder the load offensively.
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