Confident Cole hitting his stride with Yanks
Bryan Hoch
@BryanHochNEW YORK -- Gerrit Cole's eyes twinkled as he padded across the visiting clubhouse at Seattle¡¯s T-Mobile Park earlier this season, spotting an electric guitar that had been autographed by Pearl Jam¡¯s Eddie Vedder. Strapping the instrument over his shoulder, Cole asked a veteran reporter: ¡°Hey, you want to hear me play?¡±
As his teammates continued their pregame routines, Cole turned up the volume and strummed. Licks of classic rock and alternative songs spilled from a speaker, recognizable tracks like ¡°Simple Man¡± by Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bush¡¯s ¡°Glycerine.¡± Cole explained that he and former teammate Jameson Taillon had taught themselves to play during a long-ago Pirates spring.
The impromptu concert concluded, and as applause was heard, Cole beamed. Now in his fourth year as the Yankees¡¯ ace, Cole appears more confident than ever before in his workplace, with All-Star results to match. The 11-year veteran was named an All-Star Game starter for the first time in his career on Monday by AL manager Dusty Baker.
¡°Anytime you come to a new team and sign a big contract, it¡¯s a tough position to be in,¡± Aaron Judge said. ¡°We see it a lot around the league when guys sign with new teams. It¡¯s a learning curve; you¡¯re trying to get comfortable, you¡¯re meeting new teammates. It¡¯s a rocky situation.
¡°For him, he dove right in and started building the bonds from the very first day. Now a couple of years later, you¡¯re starting to see that bond turn into true friendships. He¡¯s a leader. I¡¯m excited he¡¯s over here. He¡¯s comfortable, and he¡¯s really grown into himself.¡±
A six-time All-Star who has gone 9-2 with a 2.85 ERA in 19 starts this season, Cole was apprised of Judge¡¯s comment. He agreed, with no hesitation.
¡°I¡¯m just more settled,¡± Cole said. ¡°It¡¯s all about getting more familiar with people. I¡¯ve played with [Judge] now for four years. I¡¯ve gotten to know [Anthony] Volpe and Big G [Giancarlo Stanton] and a lot of the other people in the organization on a more personal level.
¡°It¡¯s been great. I don¡¯t have a great handle, but I¡¯m getting a better handle on becoming a better father -- becoming more dialed in and efficient at home. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m doing a whole lot different; it's just that everything¡¯s more settled in and set up.¡±
Intense and focused throughout his starts, Cole can be goofy at times, and he always seems opinionated on a variety of subjects -- especially the art of pitching, a topic upon which Yankees personnel have been awed by his level of expertise. Cole frequently peppers manager Aaron Boone with his thoughts, including game strategy.
¡°He's got so much to offer. He's so invested,¡± Boone said. ¡°That's what I appreciate, probably as much as anything. I love when he pitches every fifth day and what he brings on the mound, but [also] his investment in us, in our team, this organization, his teammates. He lives that every day; I would even say he lives it 365. He's all in, and that shows every day.¡±
Cole has come a long way from the 11-year-old who held up a sign at what was then called Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix before Game 6 of the 2001 World Series between the Yankees and D-backs, reading, ¡°Yankee Fan Today Tomorrow Forever.¡±
He achieved his boyhood dream by signing a nine-year, $324 million contract with the Yankees after the 2019 season, a pact that managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner predicted would lead to ¡°multiple¡± World Series championships in the Bronx. That has yet to transpire, of course.
Cole shifted from Houston to New York during the COVID-19 delayed 2020 mini-season, pacing the Majors in both strikeouts (257) and home runs allowed (33) last year. This year, Cole has corrected what Boone called his home run ¡°bugaboo,¡± to the point where the manager wonders if Cole may be underrated in today¡¯s game.
¡°I think he's on that Hall of Fame trajectory,¡± Boone said. ¡°Perhaps he¡¯s underappreciated, but I know we certainly appreciate what he's doing, the model of consistency he's been for our team.¡±
The past three-plus years have also helped Cole become more closely tied in with the organization, providing a road map to find whatever is needed at any given time -- whether it¡¯s a detailed analytic report or a peanut butter & jelly sandwich.
¡°You¡¯re always trying to be a better teammate, a better player, a better friend,¡± Cole said. ¡°All of those components play a role. Hopefully, I¡¯m a little better when I come back next year, too.¡±