Gerrit Cole was included back in the New York Yankees starting rotation earlier this month with a lot of hope and relief. The ace and reigning AL CY Young pitcher recovered from an elbow nerve inflammation injury, and after two long months, he made his season debut against the Orioles at home.
That being said, Gerrit Cole’s debut was decent as he allowed two runs in 4.1 innings and struck out 7 hitters. However, Cole predicted uncertainty ahead of his start against Mets citing pitch count restriction. But not even in their wildest dreams, Yankees expected a career worst blow out from their ace.
Gerrit Cole Blows Up Yankees With Horrendous Zero Strikeout Show
The New York Yankees met the New York Mets at Citi Feld for a two-game Subway series on Tuesday. Despite the rivalry, the visitors were confident as they had their ace on the deck for a scheduled start. However, Cole ended up getting hammered by the Mets. In what turned out to be his worst career start, Cole allowed six runs, four walks on seven hits across 4 innings and recorded zero strikeouts. Mark Viento, Harrison Bader and Brandon Nimmo slammed four home runs combined to dominate Cole from all fronts. What’s more worrying for Yanks was Gerrit’s dip in fastball and slider velocity. It fell out from the 90+ mph range, which is uncharacteristic of Cole.
Meanwhile, Gerrit Cole became the first Yankees pitcher to allow four home runs and zero strikeouts in a single game against the Mets. He also surpassed Nate Robertson to be the only pitcher who didn’t strike anyone out and allowed four walks and four home runs since 2008. Not only that, but this is the second time in Cole’s 12-year-long MLB career that he has gone without any strikeouts. Naturally, Cole took the blame for the Yankees’ 9-7 loss and was disappointed that he had not given his team a chance to win at Citi Field. Cole added how the major league is hard, and despite having deceptive stuff, he wasn’t able to execute those in the right areas. “I just pitched poorly. It’s a bit like driving a car. Too much clutch or too little clutch can slip you out of gear a little bit,” Cole summed up his bumpy night in the post-game interview.
Aaron Judge Reacts To Gerrit Cole’s Woes Vs Mets
Meanwhile, New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge had his ace Gerrit Cole’s back after a career-worst start against the Mets. Judge said that the current period is Cole’s spring training as the pitcher missed his build-up period due to an elbow injury. He is still the same guy who won CY Young award and Judge wants Cole to step up every five days.
“That’s our ace, that’s our guy, and you know you want him out there every single five days,” Aaron Judge said after the 9-7 loss. Overall, the Yankees captain assessed that Gerrit Cole had the velocity required to deceive hitters. It’s just the execution that was messed up. But he is confident of an imminent comeback from Cole.
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