At 33 years old, New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole is in the prime of his career. Cole puts it all together every time he takes the mound this season. Gerrit made his presence known and shined during the Yankees Thursday night 5-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. That was his final home start of the 2023 season; his play was so great he got a standing ovation from the Yankee crowd. This could be the game propelling Gerrit Cole to win his first AL Cy Young Award. He’s been putting up fabulous numbers throughout this regular season, with the likelihood of fending off the award from Luis Castillo, Kevin Gausman, and others.
Cole’s Last Night and Season Stats
During last night’s win, Gerrit Cole pitched eight innings, allowing no runs on two hits, while striking out nine Blue Jay batters. Thus far, Cole is the current American League leader in starts, innings pitched, ERA, and WHIP. This gives Cole a jumpstart against all the other Cy Young competitors. While throughout the majors, he ranks second in starts, innings pitched, and ERA. He still ranks at that top spot throughout the majors in WHIP.
In 32 appearances this season, Cole has put up a 14-9 record. Cole has pitched through 200 innings with an ERA of 2.75. Gerrit also has 217 strikeouts and a 1.02 WHIP. Gerrit Cole’s performance against Toronto yesterday was one of his best of the season. Without question, Gerrit’s had a better outing this season than this past start. On April 16th, Cole pitched a complete game against the Minnesota Twins. He tossed the full nine innings, allowing only two hits while striking out ten. Gerrit averages around seven strikeouts a game through his 32 starts. Every start, he strikes out three batters or more. Cole’s thrown eleven strikeouts twice this season, which is his season-high. He’s thrown 2,657 strikes this season, with a strikeout rate close to 30 percent.
Yankees’ Final Stretch
For New York, they sit in fourth place in the AL East with a 77-76 record. You certainly can’t blame this record on Gerrit Cole this season. The Yankees are seven and a half games out of the final Wild Card spot. The Bronx Bombers have had one of their most disappointing seasons in a long time. This team had championship aspirations but never even got close to those goals. New York’s been outplayed and outclassed by most of their American League rivals. This Yankees’ team had a sub-.500 record at specific points this season and sat dead last in the AL East. It would be a great comeback story if they could enter the postseason.
New York starts their next three-game series at home with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Their next two series will be on the road. They’ll head to Toronto to play the Blue Jays and then Kansas City to face the Royals. If the Bronx Bombers lose three out of their final nine games, they would be eliminated from playoff contention. While it’s a long shot, the Yankees must put everything on the line. That’s if they don’t want their season to end early. We’ll see Gerrit Cole pitch again this year, with the Yankees season on the line.
Main Photo Credits: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
