Gerrit Cole is supposed to be a source of calmness for New York Yankees fans, not the cause of their anxiety. He induced some heart palpitations in The Bronx after being a scratch in his scheduled start against the Philadelphia Phillies, with there being the constant fear of his elbow issues reemerging late in the regular season or playoffs.
Fortunately, though, Cole got back on the hill in Sunday afternoon's 4-3 extra-innings victory against the visiting Toronto Blue Jays. Although he was far from his sharpest self, the 2023 American League Cy Young looked competent enough to dissuade Chicken Little from rushing over to warn the Bleacher Creatures in Yankee Stadium.
Cole pitched 5.2 innings (91 pitches, 60 strikes) while giving up two runs and striking out four batters in the rubber match. He labored early before finding his groove as the game progressed. New York's offense provided him with some support, as Juan Soto blasted his 28th home run of the season and DJ LeMahieu notched the walk-off hit in the 10th inning.
The Yankees ace knows there is plenty of room for improvement, but he is happy to just be in good health after enduring “general body fatigue” and a stomach virus last week.
“I'm certainly in a better spot physically than I was the other day,” Gerrit Cole said postgame, per ESPN's Jorge Castillo. “Any player at any time will tell you to take that. It was definitely beneficial to have a few extra days, for sure.”
Yankees exercise caution with Gerrit Cole
The 33-year-old righty suffered elbow nerve inflammation back in the spring and did not make his 2024 debut until June 19. He has been unable to find the consistency that convinced many to dub him the best starting pitcher in baseball today. Cole has a 5.09 ERA and a concerning .509 slugging percentage against through eight starts this season. His latest outing is cause for optimism, however.
Cole did not record a single walk and exhibited good velocity on his fastball. Yankees manager Aaron Boone is pleased by the progress his top hurler made, but he also knows the biggest priority is keeping him off the injured list when postseason play starts.
“I think he tired a little bit there at the end,” the skipper said. “And I wasn't going to go more than 90, maybe 95 pitches anyway. But he finished real strong.”
The six-time All-Star and two-time ERA leader hopes to build off this start when he faces the Texas Rangers at the end of the week. Meanwhile, Yankees fans will do their best to be patient, a trying task that becomes even harder to do as October draws closer.
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