Full-year historical Major League statistics provided by Pete Palmer and Gary Gillette of Hidden Game Sports. Gerrit Cole is the Yankees' last line of defense in the deciding Game 5 of the Division Series against the Rays tonight. Be thankful for that. No fear. Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify, © 2020 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved “One of the cool things about Cole is how hooked up he is when he’s not pitching.”. 45 with the Yankees wasn’t a given, because at the time Cole signed, it already belonged to first baseman Luke Voit. Find out more. No kidding: the Yankees were so wobbly after Tanaka’s destruction 24 hours earlier it’s possible they would’ve caved again on Thursday had Tampa Bay scored early. So I’m excited for him for where he’s at. Free Agent: 2029, Relatives: Brother-In-Law of Brandon Crawford, More Gerrit Cole Pages at Baseball Reference, 2020 Yankees Total Zone Rating and initial framework for Wins above Replacement calculations provided by Sean Smith. #congratsman #letsget28”. That’s what makes him unafraid of the Rays. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (each updated 1/1/20). Just how they drew it up last winter. It was the right move, as he struck out Manuel Margot to end the inning. That’s why I was convinced Cole could have – and perhaps should have – taken the ball in Game 4. World champion's affair rocks Olympic swimming world, News anchor fired for cameo in Adam Sandler movie, Text messages show raw and intimate exchange between Joe and Hunter Biden, Airport officials strike gold searching passenger’s butt, © 2020 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Steve Cohen's response to messy Mets free-agency scenario will say a lot, Astros-Rays is unlikely Yankees-Red Sox sequel you can't resist, Jose Altuve is living a nightmare and testing our Astros hate, The mistake Aaron Boone can't afford in make-or-break season, Some of Yankees fans' biggest complaints are valid, The LeBron James bubble narrative is getting out of hand, There is proof Joe Judge can still win big with Giants. Privacy Notice Follow him on Twitter @rosenstein73. Voit underwent surgery following the season to repair the injury, which surfaced in the middle of the season and sapped much of his power. Get the latest odds on all the top sports. He is what distinguishes these Yankees from endeavors of recent vintage. He’s got the metabolism of a hummingbird, which is to say the YES cameras will never catch him alone on the bench, head in his hands in the middle of a panic attack. “It’s nice to be finishing strong going into the postseason,” Cole said. As expected, Cole will wear No. June 11, 2013 THE BEST INSIGHTS FROM THE ULTIMATE INSIDERS, Blue Rush: A NY Giants Podcast Thanks for contacting us. Win Expectancy, Run Expectancy, and Leverage Index calculations provided by Tom Tango of InsideTheBook.com, and co-author of The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball. The rest of the Rays offense was held more in check. 59 in honor of … Given another chance to retire Choi, Cole instead issued an intentional walk to load the bases with two outs in the fifth. “I think the experience of facing him last year in the playoffs and two times this year, I guess the experience has gotten me comfortable facing him.”. “He wants to lead us to victory,” Aaron Hicks said of his fellow Californian Cole. This is why the Yankees signed him last winter. Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com. So the questions were fired at Cole from all directions, none of which fazed him. Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify, Gang's All Here: A NY Jets Podcast It was his college football number at West Point while he was the captain of the football team! Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Cole was the runner-up in voting for the 2019 American League Cy Young Award, going 20-5 with an AL-best 2.50 ERA and MLB-best 326 strikeouts for the Houston Astros. That’s what insulates him from the jitters. (33-27, 2nd place in AL East), Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, October 17, 2:04AM. So here we are, at baseball’s version of sudden death. “At least that's my personal takeaway, because I can't control what kind of swing he puts on the ball. Get Yankees text messages: Cut through the clutter of social media and text during games with beat writers and columnists. Yankees get back on track with dominant win, THE BEST INSIGHTS FROM THE ULTIMATE INSIDERS, Blue Rush: A NY Giants Podcast Your Ad Choices Sorry, Cole doesn’t do Dr. Phil. We've received your submission. Listen on Apple Podcasts | Spotify, Gang's All Here: A NY Jets Podcast Find NJ.com on Facebook. It’s a huge ask, but Cole was so remarkably at ease in Thursday’s postgame interview you just knew tonight’s biggest hurdle – the fact he’s never worked on short rest – wouldn’t be an issue. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. SAN DIEGO – If reading body language and subtle facial expressions are your thing, then you know Gerrit Cole isn’t just ready to beat the Rays tonight in the Division Series finale. He is one of four players -- joining Matt Carpenter, Joey Gallo and Lucas Duda -- to take Cole deep four times in their careers, though Choi himself has never homered more than twice against any other pitcher. Many historical player head shots courtesy of David Davis. I’m going to wear #59 to honor my brother! He signed a minor league contract with an $8 million signing bonus, the highest signing bonus ever offered to a rookie, 15 minutes before the signing deadline on August 15, 2011. It’s the biggest deal ever given to a pitcher. Signed thru 2028, 9 yrs/$324M (20-28), Service Time (01/2020): 6.111 I knew two days' rest would’ve placed a burden on Cole, but I reasoned that if anyone could absorb it and get the Yankees to Game 5 it would be him. Subscribe to our Free Newsletter, This Month in Sports ReferenceFind out when we add a feature or make a change. Cole signed a nine-year, $324 million contract with the Yankees last week at the MLB Winter Meetings. Sitemap The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. As his season’s unfolded, I feel like he’s pitching his best baseball right now.