Gerrit Cole will take the ball Saturday night at Tropicana Field in the role the Yankees envisioned when they made him the centerpiece of their rotation: the Game 1 starter. The assignment comes against the Rays in the American League Division Series opener, with first pitch set for 6:30 p.m. ET on TBS, truTV, UniMas and HBO Max.
Cole returns to the October job
This is not the same version of the Yankees rotation that first brought Cole to New York. Cam Schlittler has emerged as the club’s frontline arm, a likely American League Cy Young winner after another commanding postseason performance against Boston. But in a series that matches the AL’s two best regular-season clubs, Cole still carries the old responsibility of setting the tone.
The Yankees handed Cole a nine-year, $324 million deal in December 2019 because they were tired of entering elimination games without a true ace at the front of the line. In the prior two postseasons, they had leaned on an opener in Chad Green against Houston in the 2019 ALCS and on veteran CC Sabathia in major October spots against Boston and Houston. Those seasons ended short of the World Series.
- In the deciding game of the 2019 ALCS, Green opened against the Astros and the Yankees lost.
- Sabathia started Game 4 of the 2018 ALDS against the Red Sox, another Yankees defeat.
- Sabathia also got Game 7 of the 2017 ALCS in Houston, but did not get through four innings.
- General manager Brian Cashman made clear when Cole signed that the Yankees had put forward a major offer designed to make the opportunity difficult to turn down.
Cole was built for this stage, and his first Yankees postseason against Tampa Bay showed why. During the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he started twice against the Rays in the ALDS. He worked six innings in Game 1, allowing three runs while striking out eight in a 9-3 Yankees victory. On short rest in Game 5, he carried the Yankees into the sixth, surrendering one hit, two walks and one run with nine strikeouts.
That series ended painfully when Mike Brosseau hit an eighth-inning homer off Aroldis Chapman, sending Tampa Bay onward to the World Series. Cole gets another chance against the same opponent now, even if the stakes are earlier in October.
A comeback season with a few scars
Cole’s return from Tommy John surgery did not begin until May 22, but the 36-year-old still made 22 starts and finished 10-9 with a 3.61 ERA. For a power pitcher returning from that operation, it was a strong season. The final line, however, does not erase the September turbulence that left Yankees fans uneasy heading into another Rays matchup.
Across two early-September starts, Cole gave up seven home runs. The roughest night came at Petco Park, where Fernando Tatis Jr., Jake Cronenworth and Manny Machado hit consecutive first-inning homers over a stretch of 15 pitches.
Cole’s response afterward was the familiar pitcher’s answer: bad results have to be separated from the work still waiting. He said the task was to keep taking each pitch on its own, leave the mistakes behind and continue working.
- After the difficult outing in San Diego, Cole had another rough start against the Mets.
- He then turned in a better performance against the Diamondbacks.
- His final regular-season start came against Tampa Bay: 5 2/3 innings, two runs, three hits, three walks, eight strikeouts and 105 pitches in a Yankees win.
Schlittler supplies the momentum
The Yankees arrive after sweeping the Red Sox, and Schlittler was the force behind the opening statement. His first pitch reached 100.6 mph, and he did not allow Boston to score across 6 1/3 innings. He struck out 10 while throwing 117 pitches.
It continued a postseason pattern for the young right-hander. In the previous October’s Game 3 of the AL Wild Card Series against Boston, Schlittler struck out 12 over eight scoreless innings. He is expected to start Game 2 of this ALDS and would be the natural choice for a winner-take-all Game 5 if the series reaches that point.
For Saturday, though, the ball belongs to Cole. Schlittler may be the Yankees’ new ace, but Cole remains the veteran who was brought to New York for the nights when the series starts, the crowd is tight and every inning carries October weight.
