New York Yankees fans have been hanging on a thread for months with stagnant offense and inconsistent starting pitching causing them great distress and evoking countless “George {Steinbrenner} wouldn't stand for this” responses. They seethed and bemoaned general manager Brian Cashman for the construction of the roster and nearly combusted when Aaron Hicks started hitting home runs for the Baltimore Orioles.
Still, Yankees nation largely held it together because of the trust they had in their star players- the returning Aaron judge and American League Cy Young favorite Gerrit Cole. Both were in action Friday night against the AL East-leading Orioles, but bitter defeat befell New York just the same.
Cole pitched another gem, going seven innings without allowing a run. Stellar defense by Baltimore stifled the Yankees and kept the game scoreless going into the ninth. Anthony Santander swung at a changeup below the strike zone and launched it 425 feet for the 1-0, walk-off win in Camden Yards. As one club soars to new heights, another sinks to new depths.
“It’s another tough loss,” Cole said postgame, per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. “I think when we’re evaluating tonight’s game, it’s just, what can we do to get a little bit better? Just take that lead at some point during that game. We’re battling with these guys, every single pitch.”
The sad truth of this whole situation is that fans cannot even appreciate the hard-fought battle they witnessed because this was a game the team needed to grab. Judge stepped into the batter's box for the first time since June 3 (tore ligament in toe) and walked three times. His teammates are in desperate need of the MVP-like boost he can provide, but pitchers will not shy away from giving the 2022 home run king a free base when the rest of the lineup poses such a little threat right now.
And so the anguish continues. The Yankees (54-49) now sit three-and-a-half games out of the postseason and are facing a big dilemma going into Tuesday's trade deadline. Does the organization trust that Gerrit Cole and Aaron Judge alone can still be the season's saviors, or is it time to call in some emergency reinforcements?