The New York Yankees five-man starting rotation stepped into the rotation with a chip on their shoulders. While some were feeling the heat to bounce back from an abysmal season, a few rookies had to prove themselves in the big leagues. And to add to the misery, the pitchers lost ace Gerrit Cole to an elbow injury.
Many analysts deemed the Yankees rotation wrecked in Gerrit Cole’s absence and feared the worst outcome in the first half of the season. However, things turned out to be the complete opposite, as the Yanks’ starting rotation has set up a new league record with a sensational stretch in May, with no Cole in sight.
Yankees Rotation Scripts History With Record 15-Games Stretch
The New York Yankees’ five-man rotation for the 2024 season does not include reigning AL CY Young pitcher Gerrit Cole. Regardless, Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes, Marcus Stroman, Clarke Schmidt, and Luis Gil have done a phenomenal job in his absence to fill the ace’s void to an extent. Entering Wednesday, the starting pitcher’s combined ERA is 2.73, which is the best in the franchise’s history since 1917. Not only that, the pitcher managed to script a century-old history with a unique 15-game stretch. The Yankee starters have had 15 consecutive starts of five or more innings while allowing two or fewer runs, which is the best stretch since the mound was moved to its current distance in 1893.
The historic stretch’s foundation was led by Luis Gil on May 12 when he threw six shutout innings against the Tampa Bay Rays. Notably, the New York Yankees pitchers also went 11-2 with an impressive 0.99 ERA during this 15-game stretch, which is once again the best in MLB momentarily. Notably, Entering Wednesday, Gil has a 2.11 ERA, Schmidt (2.52 ERA), Stroman (2.76 ERA), Rodon (2.95 ERA), and Cortes (3.30) ERA. While it’s just May, the Yankees rotation has already started to make noise. They will be joined by Gerrit Cole soon next month. However, Cole’s return will cause a positive conundrum for manager Aaron Boone as he will be forced to navigate an ideal balance. Currently, only Clarke Schmidt and Nestor Cortes seem to be some sort of weak links. Still, to accommodate Cole, Boone will have to make some tough choices.
Gerrit Cole Not Ruling Out June Return
Meanwhile, Gerrit Cole jumped his original May 27 return timeline due to a lack of build-up. In the latest move, he threw a 15-pitch inning live bullpen session and is expected to throw a couple more this week before Cole could be placed on a rehab assignment.
Rehab assignment is the last step in Gerrit Cole’s recovery plan. However, he is expected to pitch in 4-5 minor league starts before the Yankees can take a call on his return. While Cole was non-committal following his first live session last week, he affirmed that a potential return in June is not being ruled out at the moment.
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