NEW YORK — Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole could have melted. In the third inning of Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Tuesday, Cole gave up a solo home run to Guardians shortstop Steven Kwan — who struck out six in the regular season — before loading the bases hitting Amed Rosario with a pitch, giving up a double to reliever Jose Ramirez and allowing first baseman Josh Naylor to reach first on a fielder’s choice with just one out recorded in the inning.
The innings provided every ingredient for the game to spiral out of control very quickly. With the Yankees within a run, Cole faced a fork in the road. Cleveland could put the game away with a few swings and shut out the Yankees’ ace in his first playoff start in the Bronx, or it could help New York close out Game 1 of the ALDS.
As he stood on the mound with the bases loaded, Cole stepped back and tried to visualize the situations during the season when runners reached base. He tried to lean on how he reacted in those situations, taking his mind off the high stakes of playoff baseball.
“I prepared myself for traffic. I certainly had many, many experiences with traffic this year,” Cole said. “You do what you normally do. We were really clear about what pitches we wanted to run in those situations.”
Those pitches were the slider and the slider, as Cole got Oscar Gonzalez out on an 88.4 mph slider before getting Andres Gimenez to hit a monstrous 88.4 mph slider on an at-bat that contained only a fastball with three sliders. and two curve balls. The momentum proved crucial in keeping Cleveland’s offense at bay as New York cruised to a 4-1 victory.
“He executed, and that might be the at-bat right there,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. He was in trouble there and kept making pitches.”
The Yankees’ offense got off to a slow start in the ensuing innings. Outfielder Harrison Bader hit a solo home run to tie the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the third before catcher Jose Trevino hit shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa on a sacrifice fly in the fifth to lead off. First baseman Anthony Rizzo provided some cushion in the sixth inning with a two-run homer, scoring Aaron Judge.
But it all came down to Cole getting out of a third-inning jam.
“That’s the type of thing that drives the offense,” Bader said. “You hate to put more pressure in the opening game, but that’s the reality of it and that’s why those guys get paid the way they do because of the energy and the ability to shut down and make big pitches in sequences big, which is exactly what he did.”
The Guardians made Cole work hard in the first three games, forcing the Yankees ace to throw 62 pitches over three innings. But getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the third inning helped Cole settle down, as he threw just eight pitches in the fourth, 13 in the fifth, 13 in the sixth and four more in the seventh, recording one out and allowing a single to Myles Straw before Boone pulled the plug on the righty’s evening.
Throughout the outing, Cole mixed up his repertoire to keep the Rangers off balance, throwing 27.5% fastballs, 27.9% chokes, 12.6% cutters, 13% sliders and 13.4% changeups.
“He can have overwhelming stuff,” Guardians manager Terry Francona said. “He starts speeding you up and then he spins it. It can get tough.”
Cole exited the game in the seventh inning to a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 47,807 at Yankee Stadium, waving to the fans. As he looked out at the crowd before descending the pit steps, Cole took a moment to absorb it all.
As a childhood Yankees fan growing up in Southern California, Cole dreamed of moments like Tuesday night, which was also his father Mark’s birthday.
“It was very special to me,” Cole said before pausing to catch his emotions. “It was very special. The game isn’t over, it’s left with traffic. It’s not the most comfortable time to acknowledge the crowd, but I certainly felt it and appreciated it. I thought they were on every pitch tonight and what a great experience it was. we have behind us”.
