Gerrit Cole’s home run problem resurfaces, raises red Flags for Yankees

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Gerrit Cole‘s performance was sufficient to contribute to the Yankees’ victory, but it wasn’t impressive enough to instill a sense of unwavering optimism about his outing.

The Yankees’ top pitcher, Gerrit Cole, gave up a total of six runs (with five of them being earned) in a span of six-plus innings, primarily due to the recurring issue he faced in 2022 of yielding a significant number of home runs.

After maintaining a homerless streak throughout his initial seven starts of the season, Gerrit Cole’s performance has taken a different turn, allowing a total of eight home runs in his last five games. The Padres added a couple of long balls to that tally on Sunday during the Yankees’ 10-7 triumph in The Bronx.

Gerrit Cole held the fort against Padres

Despite surrendering only four hits, Gerrit Cole was unable to escape the long ball as two of those hits resulted in home runs. The first came in the first inning when Jake Cronenworth connected with a down-the-middle fastball, sending it over the fence. The second occurred in the seventh inning when former Yankee Rougned Odor capitalized on an attempted outside fastball that ended up drifting inside, resulting in a two-run homer.

Gerrit Cole acknowledged that both of the fastballs that resulted in home runs missed their intended location on the opposite side of the plate. Despite striking out nine batters and demonstrating strong command when he hit his spots, Gerrit Cole recognized that the hitters were prepared for those particular pitches.

In the time span between the first and seventh innings, Gerrit Cole limited the Padres to scoring only in the second inning. However, during that inning, a sequence of overthrows from center fielder Harrison Bader and catcher Kyle Higashioka, combined with Gerrit Cole’s failure to back up home plate, transformed a simple Jose Azocar single into a peculiar Little League home run situation.

After that, Gerrit Cole found his rhythm and proceeded to retire the next 10 Padres batters in a row, showcasing his dominance on the mound.

Gerrit Cole not happy over his show

Boone acknowledged Gerrit Cole’s ability to settle in after the early difficulties, but Cole himself expressed frustration with the three walks he allowed. Among those walks were Ha-Seong Kim, who eventually scored in the second inning, and Matt Carpenter, who led off the seventh inning with a walk, setting the stage for Odor’s home run.

Despite being provided with a comfortable 7-3 lead after a seven-run third inning, Gerrit Cole expressed disappointment in his inability to consistently locate the strike zone at Yankee Stadium.

Gerrit Cole acknowledged that he made a few mistakes during the outing, particularly in terms of pitch locations. He specifically highlighted the at-bats against Carpenter and Kim earlier in the game as missed opportunities. Despite his ERA rising from 1.11 on April 27 to 2.93 on May 29, Cole remains optimistic and believes there is room for improvement in his performance.

In a game where the Yankees quickly forced Yu Darvish out of the mound by the third inning, they didn’t heavily rely on Cole to deliver a standout performance.

During the month of April, when Cole was dominating opposing teams and earned the title of American League pitcher of the month, he was carrying the burden of an underperforming Yankees offense.

The Yankees’ offense reciprocated the support on Sunday and continued their impressive record of 10 wins in 12 starts with Cole on the mound this season.

Captain backs his ace

According to Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole has been a stalwart for the team, carrying them for many years and particularly in the early part of this season. Judge acknowledged that the offense wasn’t performing up to their potential, but Cole consistently took the mound every five days and delivered dominant performances.

Judge acknowledged that it is expected to have games like this throughout the season where Gerrit Cole may not have his best stuff and gives up a few runs. However, Judge emphasized the importance of the offense stepping up in those situations to support Gerrit Cole and help the team secure the victory.

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