Gerrit Cole Kept Yankees' Season Alive By Ignoring What Was At Stake
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CLEVELAND — Gerrit Cole gathered himself, taking his time as he stepped back onto the mound. Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez had just singled to center field with one out in the seventh, smartly advancing to second base after a bobble from Harrison Bader.
The one-out single brought the tying run to the plate in Game 4 of the American League Division Series for the Guardians. With Cleveland able to advance to the Championship Series with a win, coming off a late-inning rally in each of their last two games, the crowd at Progressive Field was as loud as it had been all night.
In that moment, Cole could've thought about the stakes. One poorly-located pitch had the potential to wipe away his masterpiece, a clutch, ace-like performance of just two runs allowed to that point. With a depleted bullpen behind him, failing to get out of that seventh inning would've had a direct impact on who would be available for New York in a decisive Game 5 as well.
To take it one step further, Cole's legacy in pinstripes was on the line. Sure, Cole was dominant through the first six frames. Spiraling and surrendering New York's lead in that seventh inning would've been devastating for Cole's reputation among the fan base, a unit of diehards that still hasn't forgiven the righty for his clunker in the American League Wild Card Game last fall.
None of those thoughts ever crossed Cole's mind, though.
The right-hander simply dug his spikes back into the rubber and buckled down, focusing solely on executing his pitches when each could've been his last.
That allowed Cole to strike out the final two batters he would face on Sunday night, finishing his brilliant performance with a fist pump and a roar.
The right-hander fired in a 97.9-mph heater to Gabriel Arias to strike the first baseman out looking, a testament to how Cole was able to effectively mix his off-speed pitches earlier in the game. Then, the starter blew three straight fastballs by pinch-hitter Will Brennan, his last batter regardless of the plate appearance's result, according to Yankees manager Aaron Boone. Even after eclipsing 100 pitches, finishing up with 110, Cole took the life on his four-seam fastball to new heights in that last at-bat, emptying the tank in emphatic fashion.
"I just felt he did a really good job of handling it all and not being affected by anything that went on in the game," Boone said after the 4-2 win. "Good, bad, or indifferent, he just kept slowing himself down, making sure he executed. Obviously emptied the tank, you saw some emotion there at the end when I think he was probably out of gas the last two, three hitters. Just a huge, big-time performance in this environment to get us back home."
Simply put, Cole delivered exactly what the Yankees needed with their backs up against the wall. He showed emotion, rising to the occasion and making big pitches in big spots—like the end of that seventh frame—but he never let the moment become overwhelming.
Cole said after the game that all he did was his job on Sunday night. He didn't treat this start any differently than any other outing he took the ball for this year, concentrating on the task at hand. Other pitchers might've folded under that kind of pressure. Cole let it slide right off his back.
"I just don't think about those things," the right-hander explained after the victory, his second of the series. "We have to get the job done as a team and we did that tonight, I just went out there and approached it like I would approach everything else."
As a $324 million ace, expectations are unattainable for Cole. This Yankees fan base and the organization will always look at the right-hander and ask what he's done for them lately, critiquing his highs and lows under a microscope as they chase a ring each fall.
Regardless of what transpires on Monday night and if the Yankees are able to advance to the ALCS, Cole did what he was signed to do. It wasn't perfect, but he carried this club to their two victories in Games 1 and 4, allowing just three earned runs in 13.1 innings pitched, striking out 16.
Plus, Cole did more than just keep his team's season alive on Sunday night. He pitched well enough to hand the ball off to the 'pen with only six outs remaining. That puts New York's injury-littered bullpen in a position to succeed on Monday in another do-or-die contest.
"He used everything again tonight," Boone explained. "I thought he was very much under control, commanded his emotions well early on. I think the first three innings, had the leadoff guy on base and didn't really flinch. Just kept making pitches all night long. I thought he was just really in command of the moment and it was obviously a huge start for us and for him. To get us that deep in the game set us up real nice."
MORE:
- Aaron Boone Plans to Stick With Oswaldo Cabrera at Shortstop in Game 5 of ALDS
- With Yankees in Do or Die Mode, Wandy Peralta Ready for Fourth Consecutive Outing
- Aaron Boone Explains Why He Benched Isiah Kiner-Falefa For Game 4 of ALDS
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