It’s a “Cole World” as New York Yankees fans usually say.
The truth is that ace Gerrit Cole has been one of the few bright spots for a team that is currently last in the AL East standings.
On Wednesday, he completely dominated a solid offensive team, the Tampa Bay Rays, to stop a negative stretch for the Yanks and give them a win.
Cole improved to 10-2 after giving up two runs on four hits and two walks over seven innings in a 7-2 win.
He also struck out eight hitters.
The Yankees posted some of the highlights of his incredible outing.
Cole 🌎
Presented by @Delta pic.twitter.com/kSjxbSgT5F
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) August 3, 2023
You can see his command was on point, and his stuff was as crisp as ever.
He missed bats with his high-90s fastball, his slider, his curveball, and even his changeup.
As long as Cole remains healthy, the Yankees will have a chance to climb back to spots in which they can qualify for the postseason.
For the season, the right-hander has a 2.64 ERA in 143.1 frames.
He is accumulating merits to win his first career Cy Young award after more than a few tries.
He will have competition, but he is currently one of the frontrunners.
He is, quite simply, one of the best pitchers in the world.
As for the Yankees, they will be without Domingo German, but have gotten back Carlos Rodon and will soon have Nestor Cortes available for a late push.
In any case, the offense is the most problematic unit, not the pitching.
Led by the amazing Cole, the group has been good to this point.
NEXT:
MLB Writer Expresses Support For Domingo German