Give Cole credit for delivering in the playoffs. He had great stuff on Tuesday and despite giving up an early home run, lived up to his $324M contract.
Friday night may have been the most important game of the 2022 regular season for the New York Mets, actually I think it is Saturday but we'll get to that later. Manager Buck Showalter re-arranged the pitching rotation to start Jacob deGrom in Game 1 in Atlanta, much like you will expect to see in the upcoming playoffs against whomever the Mets face, in whatever series they are in. However, there was much more on the line for deGrom and Mets owner Steve Cohen.
The New York Yankees are rolling. The last thing that fans of opposing teams, like Red Sox Nation, want to hear is that the Yankees starting pitching is on the brink of getting stronger. That is exactly what is happening.
Poker players will tell you that you are only as good as the hand you are dealt. Major League managers will privately tell you the same thing. Seasoned big league skippers, at times, know when to push the right buttons to get their teams going. New York Yankees top dog Aaron Boone did a terrific job pushing some key buttons this weekend that may have resulted in wins but, more importantly, are crucial for the Yankees long-term success.
The Yankees have been down this road before with Gerrit Cole. A few subpar starts, before he starts to perform like one of the best pitchers in baseball.
Weeks after New York Yankees star outfielder Aaron Judge turned down a contract extension worth north of $230 million, Pinstripe general manager Brian Cashman is facing another money problem. This time the issue isn't with spending money, it's with money already spent. Tuesday night was a great win on the field for New York but individually there are some glaring costly issues.
Let's start here. Gerrit Cole is a very good Major League pitcher. The question that is looming is whether or not the $324 million man is an "ace." On Wednesday, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone sent his highest paid pitcher to the mound to face division rival and odds-on favorite to win the AL East, the Toronto Blue Jays.
In 2022, every American League East victory is going to be crucial for the New York Yankees. That's why Sunday night was so important. Even though there are 159 games left for the Pinstripes, manager Aaron Boone knows this division will decided by a few games or less. A three game sweep would have been sweet but Boston showed that they too plan to stick around this season with their 4-3 victory in series finale.