The New York Yankees avoided elimination on Sunday night behind a masterful pitching performance from Gerrit Cole. The Yankees ace shut down the Guardians in Game 4 of the ALDS, going seven innings of six-hit, two-run baseball on 110 pitches. It was exactly what New York needed to force a decisive Game 5.
Well, if Cole has his way, we could be seeing more of him in this series. Yes, really.
According to YES Network’s Jack Curry, Cole arrived to Yankee Stadium on Monday feeling so great that he told manager Aaron Boone that he would be available to pitch in Monday’s Game 5, if needed. Now, everything we know about pitching recovery time tells us that it’s not a great idea to pitch a day after throwing 100-plus pitches. But for Cole to even put that possibility on the table — it had to be intriguing.
While Gerrit Cole showed up the Stadium and told Aaron Boone he was available to pitch tonight, Boone said he'd be hesitant to use him. Cole threw 110 pitches in last night's win.
— Jack Curry (@JackCurryYES) October 17, 2022
Boone did say that he would be hesitant to take Cole up on the offer, but shockingly, that wasn’t a flat-out no. Monday’s starter, Jameson Taillon, has been among the Yankees’ most dependable pitchers this regular season. But Taillon lacks the postseason experience you’d want from an elimination-game starter, and he did have a rough outing in Game 2 out of the bullpen. If Cole can actually go, it changes the entire calculus for Boone.
At the very least, Cole’s willingness to pitch on back-to-back days had Yankees fans pumped. It’s the postseason: You can’t hold anything back.