To no one’s surprise, Gerrit Cole has been named the Yankees’ starter for Game 1 of the World Series as stated by Aaron Boone today. Across three postseason starts thus far, Cole posted a 3.31 ERA and the Yankees are 3-0 in his starts, although he has struggled with his command during two of his three starts. Going up against arguably the best offense in baseball, the Yankees will need their ace to step up and deliver a start more similar to what we saw in Game 4 of the ALDS against the Royals.
With plenty of rest between starts, the Yankees are hoping that Gerrit Cole can be sharp and fully prepared for his biggest start since joining the Bronx Bombers.
Gerrit Cole Formally Announced as the Yankees’ Game 1 Starter
Few starters are as experienced as Gerrit Cole in the postseason, who is one of just 15 pitchers in MLB history to have at least 20 starts made in October. Across those starts, he has a sparkling 2.98 ERA and has gone 11-6, and the Yankees are hoping his stuff is sharp ahead of the series opener against the LA Dodgers.
This was fully expected, with Carlos Rodon and Clarke Schmidt being the expected Game 2 and Game 3 starters as they were in the ALDS and ALCS. New York starters have posted a 3.89 ERA and 3.35 FIP in their nine games thus far, striking out 22.8% of batters faced, but the big issue thus far has been a lack of length from their starting pitching.
Gerrit Cole (7 IP) delivered the longest start of the postseason on the Yankees but has not pitched past the fifth inning in his two other outings. Clarke Schmidt has yet to complete five innings, and Carlos Rodon only completed five or more once in the postseason. It’s affected by Aaron Boone’s aggressive bullpen usage, and he could get another weapon for this round.
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Nestor Cortes has a good chance of making the World Series roster according to Aaron Boone, and if he were to return it would give the Yankees another boost in their bullpen. It isn’t clear whether he would be built up to deliver 1-2 innings or 2-3 innings, and it’s also unclear whether they would allow him to pitch on back-to-back nights, which is important in the context of the World Series.
This best-of-seven series is also played in a 2-3-2 format, meaning the team has off days only when traveling. Gerrit Cole could set the tone for the Yankees in Game 1 as he likely opposes superstar ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Los Angeles. Cole is from California and attended UCLA, so this start has some value beyond just the immediate pressure of pitching in the Yankees’ first World Series game since 2009.