New York Yankees are spiraling down this season, which could go down as worst in the past four decades. The team recently witnessed the worst losing streak since 1982, which fortunately ceased to exist following a win vs. Nationals. Amid this worrisome season, an ace starting pitcher is thriving under pressure to earn a rare accolade to his storied resume.
Gerrit Cole has been the New York Yankees top performing athlete this season, let alone the best pitcher. However, the team’s struggle got to him as he struggled on the mound last week. But a pitcher like Cole cannot live under the hood for long. He came back stronger than ever in a recent outing against the Rays and moved further up in the Cy Young Award contention list.
Gerrit Cole Restricts Rays To Lower Season ERA Below 3
Friday night, the New York Yankees face sturdy East rivals, Tampa Bay Rays, in the series opener. The Yanks, desperate for a win, fielded their trump card, Gerrit Cole, to the mound. The starter certainly lived up to the expectations as he leaked a mere one run in 7.2 innings while striking out as many as 11 Rays hitters. With the hot performance, Cole’s season ERA came down to 2.95. Meanwhile, after the game, the pitcher credited the Bombers’ coaching and also an anonymous friend who helped him get his act together. Cole didn’t name the alleged friend but claimed that the latter would make it to the Hall of Fame someday. The best guess would be Justin Verlander, who beat Cole in Cy Young contention years ago.
Having said that, this time around, Gerrit Cole is looking to cross the finish line. With the latest outing, he has upped his stakes. However, the pitcher is not looking way ahead of himself. He says winning the Cy Young Award would mean a lot, but right now, his focus is on helping the Yankees win. He cannot afford many distractions at the moment. Cole added that despite the struggles endured this season, he is proud to be a part of the Yankee organization. The whole unit is working hard behind the scenes to make it to the postseason somehow. The spirit to fight is not yet lost.
DJ LeMahieu, Gerrit Cole Guides Yankees To Perfect Win Over Rays
With the playoffs race closing in, the New York Yankees faced the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-game series opener. Despite being underdogs, the Yanks displayed utmost resilience to restrict the Rays. Gerrit Cole came out all guns blazing as he struck out 11 hitters while leaking a mere one run in over seven innings pitched. On the other hand, DJ LeMahieu took care of the other end of business.
The veteran infielder, who struggled throughout the season, hit two solo homers and as many RBIs in four at-bats. Gleyber Torres further scored two insurance runs to lead the Yankees to a thumping 6-2 win. With that, the deficit to the playoff wildcard spot has come down to 7.5 games. The road to the postseason is still lengthy, and the Yanks will have to remain consistent to produce a miracle.
