All it took for the New York Yankees and their fan base to wake up with renewed hope was a win. It didn’t come in Game 3 on Monday, but it did on Tuesday and that’s all that matters. It’s slim, yes, and the Bombers have the weight of decades of history on their shoulders, but it’s hope nonetheless.
The Yankees have hope again
As a wise movie character once said (The Shawshank Redemption), “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”
The hope of at least taking the series back to Los Angeles for the weekend is increased by the fact the Yankees will have their ace on the mound tonight. Gerrit Cole will take the ball after a brilliant Game 1 start that was wasted by a few miscues and Freddie Freeman’s extra-inning grand slam.
That day, Cole traded zeroes with Jack Flaherty and showed the world why the Yankees gave him $324 million ahead of the 2020 campaign. He pitched six innings of just one run, no walks, and four strikeouts in Los Angeles against an elite lineup.
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Cole has shown the world why he is the Yankees ace in the playoffs
Cole, who posted a 3.41 ERA in the regular season, has a rock-solid 2.82 ERA in 22.1 playoff innings. The strikeout stuff hasn’t been fully there, as he has ‘just’ 16 punchouts, but he has minimized mistakes, avoided the big inning, and executed masterful pitches in tough spots. That’s the mark of an ace.
On Wednesday night, the Yankees are asking Cole for one more ace-caliber start. One more quality outing to go to Los Angeles and try to shock the world.
If Cole can do that and the Yankees win on Wednesday, LA will start to get nervous and afraid even if they won’t admit it. He was signed for moments like these. All the Yankees needed was one win to start believing again. Now, they need another one to get the series back to California.
