This was the idea when they signed him. Gerrit Cole in Game 1 of the playoffs in front of a packed house at Yankee Stadium. It took until his third season in pinstripes, because of COVID among other things. So the right-handed ace was given the “honor” of pitching the first game, but he comes into this first Bronx playoff game with a lot to prove.
“It’s always special, I think, any time somebody gets selected to lead the team into battle,” Cole said. “And I think what comes with that responsibility is preparedness, poise and to be on the attack.”
Cole has pitched four playoff games for the Yankees to a 3.98 ERA. The last memory most Yankees fans have of him in the postseason is sulking off the mound without recording an out in the third inning after getting hit hard by the Red Sox as the Yankees lost last season’s Wild Card Game.
