Gerrit Cole dominates again: ‘He’s going to end up in Cooperstown’

Deesha Thosar

MLB Writer

NEW YORK — Yankees manager Aaron Boone used two words to describe Gerrit Cole’s state of mind through four starts this season: locked in.

Cole’s strong beginning to 2023 — punctuated by his complete-game shutout of the Twins on Sunday — is exactly what the doctor ordered for the Yankees’ irregular rotation. While southpaw Carlos Rodón, their flashy offseason pickup, and right-handers Luis Severino and Frankie Montas are parked on the injured list, the Yankees need consistency and electric stuff from their ace. So far, Cole has answered the call.

His start on Sunday was so dominant — 10 strikeouts, two hits and one walk allowed through nine innings and 109 pitches in a 2-0 win — that Boone was reminded of Cole’s Hall of Fame trajectory. But at least one important accolade is still missing from Cole’s 11-year MLB career. Boone said he’s surprised Cole hasn’t collected a Cy Young yet, though the skipper is confident he’ll get one — maybe more. While it’s still early in the season, Cole’s 0.95 ERA suggests he could be coming for his first such award this year.

“Even going into this year, I think he’s probably been on some level underrated, underappreciated,” Boone said of Cole. “He’s a great pitcher. I believe he’s going to end up in Cooperstown one day. He’s so responsible, diligent and cares about his profession, his team, his teammates. He’s all in and takes a lot of responsibility in being that guy.”

For Cole, being that guy starts with a Yankees win. He’s not placing more emphasis on his fourth-career shutout, and first since July 10, 2021 against the Astros, other than to say accomplishing the feat is “old school.” The Yankees have won every time Cole has taken the mound so far this season, and that’s the most important outcome in his mind.

The correlating trend he’s hoping he can sustain is his incredible fastball command. When Cole is locating his fastball, it makes his secondary pitches that much more effective. And that command paired with getting ahead in the count, he believes, has also allowed him to limit the long ball. Cole’s 33 home runs allowed last year led the major leagues and were a major part of why he tended to spiral, unable to stop the bleeding in big innings. This year, Cole has not given up a single home run through four starts and 28.1 innings.

Curiously, Cole’s strikeout percentage is slightly lower than what we’re used to seeing from the Yankees ace. When asked if his ability to limit home runs is at all related to his lower K/9 rate, Cole’s eyes lit up.

Yankees’ Gerrit Cole throws 10 strikeouts in shutout against the Twins

“Oh, wow. That’s a fascinating question,” Cole remarked. “I haven’t thought about that at all. But I’m going to keep it in mind and look into it.”

Regardless of how that rate compares to his previous seasons, the workhorse established a new Yankees benchmark for strikeouts Sunday. Cole became the storied franchise’s first pitcher to record a sub-1.00 ERA and at least 30 strikeouts through his first four appearances of a season since earned runs became a stat in 1913. With his 10th strikeout of the afternoon, a three-pitch whiff against Donovan Solano, Cole tied Ron Guidry for the most double-digit strikeout games (23) in Yankees history.

Cole has thrown the most strikeouts in baseball since arriving in New York in 2020 (626) — and every year dating back to 2017, his last season in Pittsburgh (1,424) — and it’s not even close. It’s things like that, coupled with his minuscule ERA, that add to the argument that Cole is the best pitcher in baseball right now.

In order to be more consistent, Cole will continue throwing his fastball with conviction and aim to lower his walk rate. He’s walked at least one batter in each of his four starts, which has led to BB/9 ratio than previous years. But the encouraging aspect of Cole’s walk rate is that he’s been able to strand nearly all of those runners, in addition to getting out of jams. That confidence will be important for him as the season goes on.

Moreover, Cole being lights out every fifth day has lessened the sting of losing two key arms in Rodón and Severino to the injured list. His latest masterpiece salvaged a series split, this after the Yankees (10-6) dropped their first two games to the Twins. Such dependability goes a long way in a 162-game season.

“He’s just handling every situation so well,” Boone said. “His fastball command and the fact that he’s pressuring it in a lot of different places in the strike zone has been huge for him. His secondary stuff I thought played an important role, all of them. But that’s a big time performance right there. He’s a special pitcher.”

Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets for 3.5 seasons as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. She never misses a Rafael Nadal match, no matter what country and time zone he’s playing in. Sleep can always be sacrificed for sports. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

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