Gerrit Cole watched from the dugout Friday night as the Los Angeles Dodgers crushed teammate right-hander Luis Severino. Cole started in the midfield of the Yankees-Dodgers weekend series. And he got worried when he saw a line-up on the field that hit more home runs than any team in the National League.
“Sometimes the outside conditions make us a little more prepared,” Cole said after playing that night with the same Dodgers. “It’s been pretty conscious. I mean, they beat Seby really well. It’s not the most comfortable situation when a dynamic offense is swinging the bat well.
“So I definitely don’t want it to affect me negatively in any way. I have to send it out to
Cole and the Yankees did just that during a turnaround weekend in front of a rowdy three-seat crowd at Dodger Stadium. Aaron Judge won the series deciding game 4-1 on Sunday after he slammed into the right field fence on Saturday after making a sensational running catch, then crashed through the fence causing pain and swelling in his right big toe. Couldn’t play in battle.
A judge said Sunday that the Yankees could be on the injured reserve list when they start their six-game streak on Tuesday at the homestand.
“If I’m in it, I’m in it,” said the judge. “But I’m trying not to, you know? You know? I don’t have an answer yet. But I’m going to have a little rest today and tomorrow and hopefully on Tuesday I’ll be able to continue. Now I have a full day.” I will make the most of each day.”
Judges, who has a .348 batting average and 14 homers in his last 19 games, said he will be tested when the team returns to New York.
“I don’t know what they’re planning on me, whether it’s an X-ray or an MRI,” he said.
Judges are central to the Yankees’ success in so many ways, and every game the team plays is crucial as the AL East sprints this summer. This is the only division that includes two of his teams (Tampa Bay and Baltimore) that have won more than 60% of his games. And it’s the only division where every team had a winning record by Sunday.
The Yankees’ 36-25 record is a fitting 3rd-place finish in the East, but they would be 1st in three of the other five divisions.
That’s why, after going 4-2 on the western tour, which saw him face some jolly youngsters in Seattle and take on Shigezai in Los Angeles, Sunday night, while watching Game 2 of the NBA Finals between Denver and Miami, Smiles and laughter filled the clubhouse. and dressed to go home. They won one game in the standings during their absence, even as they battled walls, cramps, flying cross-country planes, and more.
Manager Aaron Boone said, “There are some winning things going on.”
On Saturday, as friends and family watched, Southern Californian Jake Bowers, whose rebuilt swing continues to improve since the Yankees acquired him from Cincinnati on June 3, hit his first two home runs of his career. played a match. And on Sunday, he kicked off his latest comeback with a sharp single in the seventh inning with the Yankees trailing 1-0.
“I am grateful for every day I get to walk in this building,” Bowers said. Bowers was in the sixth organization, and when the Yankees acquired him, he was batting .135 in the AAA division of Louisville. “As long as they continue to accept me, I will continue to give them my all.”
Rookie shortstop Anthony Volpe showed a defensive edge that made it hard to believe he had a hard time at bat, hitting a two-run homer in the ninth on Sunday. Outfielder Oswaldo Cabrera played an important role on Saturday after the ordeal of being demoted to the minors after the series in Seattle, joining his Scranton/Wilkes-Barr teammates in Lehigh Valley and being quickly recalled to Los Angeles. I hit a home run. Angeles and Greg Allen were activated due to hip injuries.
“Five hours in the Lehigh Valley,” Cabrera said. “I’m visiting you guys, but it felt like I had to go back.”
The deciding factor was the judges’ determination to take a solid extra base hit from JD Martinez in the eighth inning with the Yankees leading 5-3 on Saturday. Statcast said the judge sprinted for about 79 feet into the wall before reaching out and catching him with his left hand, slamming into a section of the chain link fence that provided the visitor’s entrance to the bullpen.
As the 6-foot-7, 282-pounder cuts clear into the wire fence, the gates open and the judges disappear into the bullpen, out of play for a moment.
“He basically broke the latch holding the fence in place,” said Dodger Stadium assistant groundskeeper Dominic Guerrero. “He cut metal off the wall. It’s a testament to what an athlete he is.”
The Yankees see it every day.
“It’s a great catch,” said Boone. “Add me to your list, even if it’s important.”
At that moment, the judges shook off Boone and the trainers. But “when the adrenaline wore off,” he said, his toes began to reach their limits. Boone likened the pain to “bumping his toe in the middle of the night.” A concrete foundation about level with the sidewalk curb runs under the fence. His right foot hit the concrete as the judge crashed into the fence.
“Look, I think all of these places are doing their best to keep things as safe as possible,” Boone said. “But it seems to me that the bottom cement could be packed a little more.”
Cole likened the catch to something Bo Jackson would have done, watching the judge’s heroic performance on television from a cold tub in the clubhouse. The daily pace of baseball leaves little room for spectators. Shortly after Cole made his 13th start of the season, he quickly began to recover and prepare for the next game.
Even in early June, the situation remains tense by the day. Various bits and pieces around him fade away, but this season’s Cole is the foundational piece the Yankees expected when they signed the $324 million contract prior to the 2020 season. . With the acquisition of Severino, Cole has made six appearances since losing this season, and the Yankees are 6-0 in those games, while Cole is 3-0 with a 2.00 ERA.
He’s 7-0 and a 2.82 ERA this season, and has the second-highest load in the majors with 79 and one-third innings pitched. His 13-game unbeaten streak is the third longest for a Yankee season opener, behind only Ron Guidry (17 games in 1978) and Ally Reynolds (15 games in 1954). Nestor Cortez missed a scheduled start Wednesday against the White Sox with a sore shoulder, but Cole stands as a classic staple the Yankees can rely on. He pitched over his leg cramp on Saturday.
“That’s why he’s the best pitcher in this game,” Judge said. “Day in and day out, he’s got the ball for us every five days. It feels great, but it doesn’t feel good.”
The sentiment was clear. Cole is the Yankees’ most important pitcher and will play a key role as the season deepens and Boone’s “winning event” happens.
“Walk around the building with a sense of urgency and come prepared for the game,” Boone said. “Then rinse and repeat. And they do it to a really high level.”
