Judge vs. Cole: Yanks stars battle in backfield showdown
Bryan Hoch
@BryanHochTAMPA, Fla. -- There were no tickets available for Sunday¡¯s power vs. power showdown of Aaron Judge against Gerrit Cole, because none were sold. With the Yankees stars under long-term contracts and expected to play the rest of their careers in pinstripes, it was a matchup that could only transpire on the backfields of a Spring Training complex.
But there they were, Judge in the batter¡¯s box and Cole on the mound of Field 2 of the Yankees¡¯ complex, facing off as the rest of the Bombers prepared to take on the Tigers in a Grapefruit League game.
As several hundred fans clamored for peeks through a chain-link fence, Cole acknowledged that, yes, the competitor in him had enjoyed a rare opportunity to face the reigning American League MVP.
¡°I enjoy it,¡± Cole said. ¡°I¡¯ve done this for a long time; I¡¯ve seen my fair share of line drives and gotten my fair share of line drives. There¡¯s always that uncertainty with guys who can just really hit the ball so hard, so that¡¯s not comfortable. But it¡¯s fun to compete against him, and then to be able to talk about it afterwards -- that¡¯s special.¡±
So what did Cole and Judge discuss after the session, which included Judge taking Cole deep over the left-field fence?
¡°I just thought he looked really good today,¡± Cole said. ¡°He wasn¡¯t really doing anything other than swinging, trying to get as many swings as he could. I thought he was in a good position to hit a few pitches pretty well. And that¡¯s a good place to be, a good place to start -- just sitting there reacting and knowing that I¡¯m going to throw strikes. He looked hitter-ish.¡±
Cole¡¯s three-inning outing likely marked his last under the controlled environment of a live batting practice; he expects to be inserted into the Grapefruit League rotation in the next turn. Cole said this past week was also notable because of one particular observer: Roger Clemens, who was in camp for several days as a guest instructor.
¡°He had some advice after the ¡®pen the other day, just on some of the mechanics, some of the fine-tuning,¡± Cole said. ¡°So far, he really liked the foundation. It¡¯s got to get better, but I¡¯m in a good spot.¡±