We saw a master of his craft Tuesday night in Sahlen Field. It was a real show.
(OK, sorry. I realize I saw it in the ballpark and just about no one else in town did without a TV or other device).
No matter your view, it's pretty obvious that for $324 million, you can get quite an ace and that's what Gerrit Cole is for the New York Yankees.
In yet another rout for the Bombers over the Toronto Blue Jays, a 12-1 destruction that again stretched 3 1/2 hours, the real juice came from the Yankees' battery.
Cole has now gone four straight starts with Kyle Higashioka behind the plate. He's won them all, posting a 1.00 earned-run average and 34 strikeouts in his 27 innings.
What was Cole's ERA with Gary Sanchez behind the plate? It was 3.91. Hmmmm.
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Cole was diplomatic about that when asked here Monday.
"I think I can work with pretty much anybody,” said Cole. “I think there are some things that have worked out in the last few starts that may lead the manager to lean one way or the other. But ultimately it’s not my call, and I’ll be ready whoever’s back there. I think both backstops that have caught me this year have done a great job, and whoever catches me going forward will continue to do great work.”
It certainly continued on Tuesday. Cole threw 77 of his 108 pitches for strikes and simply didn't get behind in counts. He struck out seven and didn't walk anybody.
Cole's first season as a Yankee? A tidy 7-3, 2.84 over 12 starts. In 73 innings, there were 94 strikeouts with just 17 walks.
As they say in Toronto: Not bad, eh?
Cole starts next Tuesday in Game One of the postseason. Opponent, place and opposing ace to be announced. Must-see TV.
"Outstanding. Is that an adjective?" joked manager Aaron Boone when asked about Cole's season. "He comes in with all these expectations, obviously and understandably and rightfully so. The big deal, the best pitcher in the game, coming to the Yankees and all that goes with that. The team he cheered for as a kid. And now you throw 2020 on top of it and all that's transpired ... And he's navigated it so well."
Cole was 35-10 the last two years in Houston but didn't win a World Series. That's obviously the only goal here. The one problem for the Yankees is they won't be playing the Jays in the first round. Your scorecard now shows 60 runs for the Bronx Bombers in going 4-1 over the last five meetings against Toronto. A svelte 12 runs per game.
They're the Bronx Bombers again. The swagger is back, even with all the craziness that surrounds this coronavirus-shortened season.
"I definitely didn't imagine anything quite like this," Cole said. "Outside of things we can't control like the virus and shortened season, we just tried to get a little bit better and give our team a chance to win more often than not. I'm settled in with the guys and with the team adjusting to these new protocols and a totally new environment. It's been really good and I'm glad we were able to put together a good campaign for as short as it was."
Cole used the "we" a lot to describe his outing. No question he's feeling a synergy with Higashioka.
"I was feeling pretty good tonight. Just thought overall the execution of pitches was at a really high level," Cole said. "Most pitches were executed the way we wanted, whether they were balls and strikes. When we got ourselves into a jam tonight, it didn't effect what pitch selection we made."
Cole was still humming at 97-98 mph in his final inning. There were 11 groundball outs and feeble swings all over.
"He's just mixing all four pitches to every hitter," Higashioka said. "Both sides of the plate. He's doing a good job throwing strikes, attacking guys getting ahead in the count. When you're behind a guy like Gerrit as a hitter, you're in for a tough at-bat."
Cole had one real difficult inning as the Blue Jays had runners at second and third with one out in the sixth trying to cut into a 7-1 deficit. Two fielder's choice grounders later, with one out made at home and the other at third, Cole was windmilling his fist and letting out a whoop that was clearly audible in the empty ballpark.
"I thought we made a lot of quality pitches tonight," Cole said. "We worked out of a couple jams well. Turned some really great double plays that kept the pitch count in check and scored a lot of runs."
The Yankees got two runs off Tanner Roark in the first and never trailed. Gio Urshela had a 4-for-5 night, Aaron Hicks had three RBIs and Higashioka had a two-run double off the top of the wall in left in the eighth that was reversed from a three-run homer on replay.
Aside from Cole, story 1B was easy: Three singles from getting-into-form Aaron Judge, including a first-inning sizzler clocked at 111.4 mph that was his second-hardest hit ball of the season.
"He's an integral part of our lineup, of our clubhouse and really an integral part of the industry to say the least," said Cole. "He can change a dynamic of a club."
At this point in 2020, the same can be said of Gerrit Cole.
