The New York Yankees introduced star pitcher Gerrit Cole to the fan-base on Wednesday afternoon, showcasing his desire to wear the Pinstriped jersey after years of evasion, first in 2008 when he elected to attend UCLA, and again in 2017 when he was traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Houston Astros.
This offseason was the Yankees’ and GM Brian Cashman’s third chance to secure Cole’s services, and a nine-year $324 million deal got it done. Now, the Bombers have one of the MLB’s top starting pitching rotations, including Cole, Luis Severino, James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka, and others.
What did Gerrit Cole say during his introduction to the New York Yankees?
As the news conference began and Cashman stated his remarks along with manager Aaron Boone, Cole followed with his vintage “Yankee Fan Today Tomorrow Forever” sign that he once presented at the 2001 World Series.
“It was my dream. I had a second opportunity to chase it,” he said.
Part of Cole’s everlasting dream included shaving his beard, in which Boone stated:
“He cleans up nice, doesn’t he?”
Cole will now claim the No. 45 jersey, which previously belonged to first baseman Luke Voit. The slugger stated in a tweet that he would resort to No. 59, in honor of his brother was a captain playing football at West Point.
I’m going to wear #59 to honor my brother! It was his college football number at West Point while he was the captain of the football team!
— Luke Voit (@LLVIII40) December 18, 2019
Cole, who finished the 2019 season with a 20-5 record, an AL-leading 2.50 ERA, and 326 strikeouts, will now bring his talents to the Bronx, where the Yankees have a roster full of talent. The league’s best pitcher will immediately make the Yankees World Series contenders.