Gerrit Cole has entered the ‘CYA orbit’ in earnest, and this pitcher is a strong competitor
This year, the signs are not serious.
New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is off to a good start for the first video of her career.
In the home game held at Yankee Stadium on the 17th (hereinafter Korean time), Cole led the team to a 2-0 victory by winning a shutout victory with 2 hits and no runs in 9 innings against the Minnesota Twins.
Cole, who turned the green light by defeating San Francisco in the opening game with 3 hits and 11 strikeouts in 6 innings, continued his momentum by posting a quality start with 6 scoreless innings against Philadelphia and 1 run in 6 innings against Cleveland.
On that day, against the Minnesota Twins lineup, which is the strongest in the AL Central District, he won 4 consecutive wins with powerful pitching that allowed only 1 walk and 10 strikeouts. Individual 7th complete game, 4th shutout win. It is the first time in about a year and nine months since the game against Houston on July 11, 2021 that Cole pitched 9 complete innings. Even at that time, it was a shutout victory with 3 hits and 12 strikeouts in 9 innings.
Also, wearing a Yankees uniform, he played his 23rd career double-digit strikeout game, standing shoulder to shoulder with Ron Guidry, the Yankees record holder in this category.
Minnesota starter Pablo Lopez also threw well with 7 hits, 7 strikeouts and 2 runs in 6 innings, but he had no choice but to confirm the true nature of the current strongest starting call. After the match, Lopez showed respect, saying “Cole knew very well how he threw the ball. Not many guys throw like Cole today. He wants to fight him and win.”
Minnesota coach Rocco Baldelli also admired Cole’s control and game management ability, saying, “Some of the balls didn’t go into the course he wanted, but he quickly found stability.”
Now, for the first time in his career, Cole has started hunting video footage in earnest. He pitched in 4 games this season and he marked 4 wins, 0.95 earned run average (ERA), 32 strikeouts, 0.74 WHIP, and 0.143 batting average. The rankings do not mean much because of the early season, but anyway, in the AL, it was tied for first place in wins, 5th in ERA, 2nd in strikeouts, 5th in WHIP, 5th in batting average, and 1st in innings pitched.
His performance in four games of the season is his career high. In 2019 and 2021, when he stayed at No. 2 in the Cy Young video, his performance in the first 4 games of the season was 1 win 2 losses-ERA 3.24-36 strikeouts, 2 wins 1 loss-ERA 1.82-39 strikeouts respectively. 메이저사이트
The most regrettable season for Cole was, of course, 2019, when he was in Houston. He was 20-5 with a 2.50 ERA and 326 strikeouts, but his teammate Justin Verlander also excelled with a 21-6 record with a 2.58 ERA and 300 strikeouts. In the end, Verlander, who received 17 first-place votes, scored a total of 171 points, narrowly beating Cole, who only scored 159 points with 13 first-place votes.
Cole had to shed tears as a second player even after winning the AL ERA and strikeout title. It was evaluated that Verlander, who ranked 1st in most wins, 1st in pitched innings, and 1st in WHIP, was more impressive.
Cole’s strongest competitor for the Cy Young Award should be Shohei Ohtani (2 wins, 0.47, 24 strikeouts) of the Los Angeles Angels, who currently ranks first in overall ERA. Ohtani will start against the Boston Red Sox on the 18th and challenge for his third win of the season.
Unlike last year, when he pitched every 6 or 7 days this season, Ohtani is pitching according to a five-man rotation. Ohtani, who is continuing the strikeout parade with a powerful 100-mile fastball and a sweeper, which has emerged as the strongest main weapon, is said to be competitive in pitching innings.
The powerful Cy Young competition between Cole and Ohtani is also emerging as an important point to watch in the AL this season.