In the weeks since Gerrit Cole’s disastrous start in the AL Wild Card Game, more and more rumors and speculation hav surfaced regarding the New York Yankees‘ ace.
1, Cole compiled a 3.31 ERA with a more impressive 2.68 FIP, which was is the result of holding opponent hitters to a .218/.273/.351 slash line.
While it does not create the sensationalistic headlines that rile up Yankee fans, the most likely explanation for Cole’s poor performance down the stretch, culminating with the playoff ouster, was a hamstring injury suffered against Toronto on Sept.
If the Yankees had performed to the level they were capable of earlier in the season, they most likely would not have had to rush back the ailing ace and could have afforded to give him a couple weeks of rest before the postseason.
In hindsight, the Yankees probably should have let Cole rest and rehab the injured hamstring anyway despite their precarious position in the standings at the time.
Around the league it was clear that even top pitchers were hitting a wall late in the 2021 season most likely due to the massive increase in workload compared to 2020.
Gerrit Cole has unfairly become the face of spider tack use in MLB despite disproving the theory he needs the substance to dominate.