Gerrit Cole’s 2024 season has been anything but smooth.
After an elbow injury in Spring Training delayed his debut for the New York Yankees until June, fans were on edge when the ace pitcher abruptly exited Monday’s 8-4 win over the Texas Rangers before the seventh inning.
However, fears of a serious injury were quickly alleviated.
During the broadcast, Yankees analyst David Cone clarified that Cole’s early departure was due to leg cramps rather than any issues with his elbow, arm, or shoulder.
Cole himself downplayed the severity of the situation, stating he wasn’t “super concerned” about the cramping.
Cole explained that he first noticed the cramping in his right leg after a warmup pitch before the seventh inning. Thankfully, the discomfort didn’t persist when he was off the mound.
“I jogged out there and didn’t feel it. I don’t feel it walking or moving around or anything,” Cole reassured.
The Yankees made the cautious decision to pull Cole from the game after six innings, not wanting to risk aggravating what is typically a minor issue.
“I tried a couple of things to get it to stop, and it didn’t stop. So it didn’t seem like it was going to go away,” Cole added, explaining the decision to exit.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone echoed this sentiment, noting that Cole seemed to be in good spirits after the game.
“I know he seemed pretty good right now when we came in. Hopefully, that’s the case,” Boone remarked.
Despite the early exit, Cole’s performance against the Rangers was one of his strongest of the season. In six innings, he allowed just one earned run on five baserunners while striking out nine, his second-highest strikeout count of the year.
Interestingly, his season-high of 10 strikeouts also came against the Rangers on August 10.
Cole highlighted the effectiveness of his four-seam fastball, which was particularly sharp during this outing.
“I thought it was really good. Thought we were mixing locations good and controlling the velo on it well and getting to really good areas,” Cole said.
With the win, the Yankees remain a 1/2 game ahead of the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East.
With Cole avoiding a serious injury, do you view the Bombers as the clear favorites to not only win the division but also the American League as a whole?
Is this the year the Yankees finally break their long, cold World Series drought???