A seemingly discontent with Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is set to spell trouble for rookie catcher Ben Rortvedt. The brewing trouble between the two was clearly on display on Sunday as the Yankees notched up a 13th-inning victory against the Brewers.
The New York Yankees’ catching situation in 2024 is a topic that warrants close attention as the season progresses, as it is highly likely that two of Ben Rortvedt, Kyle Higashioka, and Jose Trevino will no longer be part of the team, with a stronger focus on the first two mentioned.
Austin Wells is very likely to remain with the team, and it’s anticipated that he will have the opportunity to catch Gerrit Cole a few times before the season concludes. This will allow the ace pitcher to provide his assessment of the top prospect. Additionally, this arrangement may be preferred because Gerrit Cole doesn’t appear to relish having Ben Rortvedt as his primary catcher, despite the current “personal catcher” designation.
Gerrit Cole was unhappy at Ben Rortvedt
Fans have witnessed Gerrit Cole express his frustration towards Ben Rortvedt in past games, with animated exchanges between innings in the dugout. However, Sunday’s series finale against the Brewers seemed to escalate the tension.
Not only did Ben Rortvedt nearly endanger Gerrit Cole with an ill-advised throw to second base after failing to corral a pitch, but he also appeared to be constantly irritating the pitcher throughout the afternoon.
One of the Yankees’ standout pitchers, Gerrit Cole, narrowly avoided a serious incident in Sunday’s game. The ace has delivered remarkable performances throughout the season, and he continued to excel yesterday by setting a new record in the AL. Nevertheless, an in-game mishap could have drastically altered the situation in an instant had it not been for Gerrit Cole’s quick reflexes saving the day.
During the Brewers’ at-bat with Cole on the mound, Ben Rortvedt received the ball and instinctively threw it toward third base without realizing that Gerrit Cole was advancing in his path. Although it wasn’t deliberate, the throw was incredibly swift and had the potential to seriously harm the Yankees ace if it struck him. Luckily, the pitcher’s exceptional reflexes kicked in, and he swiftly ducked, evading the oncoming projectile.
Fortunately, with a stroke of luck, the pitcher persisted and went on to achieve an outstanding record, delivering a stellar performance. The Brewers managed only three hits against Gerrit Cole in his seven scoreless innings. This lowered his ERA to 2.79, the lowest in the American League, following his league-leading 187 innings pitched.
Ben Rortvedt’s performance in calling games from behind the plate hasn’t been particularly impressive, and Gerrit Cole’s actions on Sunday only underscored that concern. If you can’t effectively manage a game for the AL Cy Young frontrunner, how can you support a depleted and youthful pitching staff?
Still far from being a showdown between the two
It’s reminiscent of the Harrison Bader–Jake Bauers staredown, where Bader’s clear displeasure and contempt were evident. It wasn’t a “teaching moment” for Bauers, just as Gerrit Cole’s head-shaking and outward frustration didn’t serve that purpose for Ben Rortvedt either.
Alternatively, perhaps they were, and Gerrit Cole is fulfilling his role as a team leader. Nevertheless, we haven’t witnessed anything of this nature from the right-hander before, leading fans to speculate whether mounting frustrations are starting to spill over. It raises questions about whether some of the team’s top performers have reached their limit as this demanding season continues to take its toll on everyone involved.
It’s reasonable to ponder whether this incident offers a glimpse into the team’s worsening chemistry, a recurring concern for the past four seasons. Ideally, we’d prefer to see the Yankees‘ veterans taking a more proactive role in guiding players who may require some motivation.
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
Cole needs to accept that this is what it has come to. Go out and do ur job best you can. Rortvedt too. Cole shouldve been aware that that runner was headed to 2nd and not been in the way. Live ball. Get the f out the way. Better yet pay attention to ur baserunners. If rortvedt had gotten the out he wouldve gotten a hug.
The yankees are the dumbest team in baseball? Even in extra inning games with a man already at base 2…they r3fuse to execute a sac bunt and need only a fly ball to go ahead or win the game?! Every batter on this pr3sent team thinks they are Babe Ruth or Aaron ( Judge or Hank) they all swing for fences no matter what and NO ONE gaurds 4he plate with 2 strikes?! And to look at a called third strike and walk away like, o well i got my 30 million is a mark of a undisciplined team?! OWNERSA PLEASE DO SOMETHING?! Batting second Judge does not bat with men on base, Stanton cannot run, they all need glasses, they all need team pride!!!!!!!!
OMGOODNESS, my thoughts EXACTLY!
EXACTLY!!!!!!
Agree with you 💯
I don’t know what you were watching there was a guy on third he was coming to cover the plate which is supposed to if ball gets by the catcher even it wasn’t that far behind him nice block but never should of been thrown
Strange writing. Is the writer familiar with the English language. Repeatedly odd word selection. Written by AI?
Agree 100%.
I had same thought
Get rid of ben and wells snd keep kyle snd trevino. Also get rid of aaron boone and brisn cashman
Yes agree.
Was this article written by an esl bot.terribly done. Cole has s problem with every catcher not news
What has happened to the the call
SMALL BALL????
I thought higgy was coles personal catcher? What happened there, I think cole is wound a little too tight, probably will opt out next year, so on to next issue, team can’t hit or run bases.
In my lifetime, I’ve had to endure the post-Mantle decades of lousy baseball. Now we appear to be entering the Cashman-Shallow Hal Yankee Miseries … Who woulda thunk it, when I was seventeen. It’s not been a very good time to be a Yankee fan, I wanna tell you!
Cole is the LeBron James of baseball. He’s a Stat God who isn’t going to lead a team to a championship unless he can play second fiddle on a super team like the Astros. You could get alot of good players that don’t rag on their own teammates for the money you’re paying Cole. You aren’t winning sh*t with this guy at the top of your rotation. Coles.an assh*le.
Cole may feel frustrated,but to dress down and humiliate a young kid like that in front of everyone and the camera is wrong.