BOSTON – In just a few hours Gerrit Cole will stand on the mound at Fenway and take a deep breath, the kind that stretches the lining of the lungs.
Today, Cole isn’t just the $324 million ace, he’s the franchise’s last line of defense against the relentless Red Sox.
He’s already pitched big games in front of the Green Monster – notably during the 2018 ALCS with the Astros – but even that wouldn’t have put the same bullseye on his back.
But even those numbers don’t reflect the Yankees’ growing realization that everything they do – everything – is accomplished with greater ease by the Sox.
Of course the Bombers fiercely push back on the notion that Boston has their number, as Boone insists, “we know we can beat anyone.” They just haven’t figured out a way to stop the Sox.
The Yankees did stir with two out the ninth, closing to within two with the tying runs on base for Aaron Judge.
It was a best-case scenario for a franchise in need of a pick-me-up: a legitimate home run threat, already with two hits on the night, against Adam Ottavino, the former Yankee who’d pitched himself out of the Bronx in 2020.
Judge seemed caught off guard by Ottavino’s new-found velocity; he’s throwing 2-3 mph harder this year than as a Yankee.
The slugger, normally a beacon of optimism and can-do leadership, was in an especially bleak mood after the game.
He’s looking for a center fielder, a starting pitcher and a middle-innings reliever, or anyone who represents an upgrade over Brett Gardner and Albert Abreu.
Cashman says it’s too early to gauge the market – most teams are still focusing on the upcoming amateur draft – but Yankees fans should manage their expectations in the meantime.
It’s why, despite a he-man middle of the order the Yankees hit into so many double plays.
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