Gerrit Cole 'stoked' to finally make his Yankees debut on delayed Opening Day
WASHINGTON — Yankees managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner laid out a record contract for Gerrit Cole last December for what the ace righthander might provide in October, not on Opening Day.
Still, the journey to the playoffs — whether in late March or in late July — has to start somewhere.
And for the Yankees and Cole, that’s Thursday night at Nationals Park against the defending World Series champion Nationals, the beginning of a 60-game regular-season sprint they hope sets the Bombers up for an October push that results in the franchise’s 28th World Series title.
“I’m stoked,” said Cole, who agreed to a nine-year, $324 million contract, a record deal for a pitcher, with the Yankees over the winter. “I’m already having trouble sleeping I’m so excited.”
Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman, too.
Cole, an unquestioned ace, takes on another one, Washington’s Max Scherzer, Thursday night as Major League Baseball becomes the first of the four major sports to hold games during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Boone said he’ll take a moment to appreciate that, even with no fans in the stands and the endless list of protocols teams have been living under since Spring Training II began for everyone around the July 4 holiday.
“Knowing that they’re [Cole and Scherzer] kicking off our season, a unique season, one where we know there will be so many eyes on it, I think it will be emotional for fans that are huge fans of each team, but I think it will be emotional for sports fans being able to see baseball return and see that kind of marquee matchup, I absolutely have an appreciation for that,” Boone said before the Yankees’ workout was canceled because of rain. “Hopefully we can go out and put on a good show.”
Over the winter Cashman referred to Cole, who went 20-5 with a 2.50 ERA last season with the Astros in finishing second to teammate Justin Verlander in AL Cy Young Award voting, as his “white whale.”
The Yankees drafted the pitcher but failed to sign him in 2008 as Cole chose to honor his commitment to UCLA. Then they were unsuccessful while trying to trade for him in January 2018, with the Astros managing to execute a deal for him.
On Thursday, at last, Cole will finally don the uniform of the team he grew up rooting for.
“It’ll be exciting,” Cashman said Wednesday. “That excitement gets diminished because you know there’s another Gerrit Cole-like starter on the other side of the fence in a different uniform facing us in Scherzer. It’s going to be a great matchup, or prize fight, so to speak. Look forward to those guys going toe-to-toe, but it’s been a long time coming.
"Clearly Gerrit Cole’s an exciting talent. He’s been focused, he’s been relentless in terms of his preparation. He’s been preparing for this day for quite some time.”
Cole, a native of Southern California, was pursued by multiple teams while on the market, including by the Angels, essentially his hometown team growing up. But once Steinbrenner gave Cashman the greenlight a few weeks into the offseason to do what was necessary to land Cole, there was never any real doubt about where he would end up.
“It’s been an amazing journey,” Cole said. “I feel really blessed to be able to be here and humbled to be on this team around such great talent.”
Talent that, whether in a traditional 162-game season or a significantly truncated one, makes the Yankees one of the favorites to win a title. And a collection of players, all involved have stated from the team’s first workout July 4, not at all interested in ruminating over the inconveniences involved in not only getting to the regular season but getting through it.
“They’re in it to win it because that’s how they’re wired, not just in a COVID season,” said Cashman, noting players on the roster eligible to opt out of the season have not and don’t appear to be considering it. “It’s just a band of merry men that honestly are wired the same, they love to compete. In this particular case, it’s a 60-game season, rain or shine, COVID or not, we have a lot of people in here wired the same way that really just want to say, when the dust settles, ‘we’re better than everyone else.’ They’re thankful and appreciative for having the opportunity to at least try to prove that.”
Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.
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