5 Ks
3 ERs
2 Hoovered bananas.
But today, let's talk Cole, who over 13 MLB seasons is 161-87, with a career ERA of 3.18. Those numbers would take him to the Thruway rest stop north of Cooperstown, maybe a strip mall outside Oneonta? - where several modern Yankees - (thinking Bernie, Pauly, Jorge, Rocket, Coney) - have run into Gammonitic anti-NYC bigotry.
At 35, Cole sits on the threshold, outside the Coop loop. The Yankees have him for two more years (assuming a season in 2027) at $36 million per. When he signed in 2020, nobody expected him to still be an ace in 2028. But he has outdone Carlos Rodon (33) and Max Fried (32), and through sheer guts and guile, he's led this staff.
Three times last night, Cole worked out of jams, turning the game over to Headrick, who continues to amaze, despite being overused. Last night was his 71st game; (he is 2nd in all of baseball.) Over four previous seasons, he's never shown such stuff. Whatever deal he made with Mephistopheles, I approve.
As for Cole, he's 39 wins from the iconic, purely symbolic number of 200, and I doubt he'll make it. He probably gets five more starts this year and will finish with about 10-12 wins. (He now has 8.) Unless he's got a Bartolo Colon gene, he will fall short of 200.
But Cole will almost surely become a Yankee rarity: One who justifies a contract that seemed ridiculous when it was signed. Food Stamps Hal won't be able to point at him and whine about money. That's worth our loyalty, if not a plaque in Monument Park. Any deal that avoids Pavanoville - it's certainly not nothing.
And if Cole can pitch well in October, hey, ya never know...
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Really a medicore showing by Cole last night, but it was enough. And if he becomes an only-five-innings or so starter, that's a real problem. We need more from him, especially against one of the worst teams in the majors.
On the other hand, I guess he's only human, and if he can sharpen his abilities by the end of the regular season, that would be a big help. Cole-Schlittler-Fried makes a great top three for the playoffs. I'll take it.
Unfortunately, Cole floundered in the 2024 World Series when he had his chance to cast his bronze plaque in Monument Park. Aside from all the stupid errors (and errors that were not errors) by his teammates, his moment of truth came against Freddy Freeman, and of course, Cole fell down and couldn't get up. That's the thing I'll remember most about Cole. Along with all the meltdowns against Tampa.
Yes, he's trying to redeem himself this year, but I doubt the Yankees will make it past the wild card round of the playoffs. The only way he can redeem himself is to make it to the World Series and bring home the Championship. But he's never going to get another chance in the World Series.
I can't get past the squeaky voice. Bizarre.
He went to the Mike Tyson School of Voice Training.
He should have been known by the nickname "The Pointer" ever since Game 5.
Yes, and that's the second Yankee to earn that name. Knoblauch did it in 1998, but we can laugh about that one because the Yankees won the Championship. 2024 was no laughing matter, though. It was as ugly a World Series loss as we're ever going to see.
Does he inhale a lot of helium whilst blowing up balloons for his kids?
Hard to say with Cole...
200 wins seems possible but not likely—though of course, numbers of wins in our current, dreadful era are likely to count for less and less at Cooperstown, as pitchers throw fewer and fewer innings.
"Flouncy's" on-field histrionics have often been annoying—and of course not least in 2024, though there was a whole bundle of blame to go around for that one, including Judge, Volpe, Chisholm, Boone, and above all Hal & Pal for insisting on playing a disabled Rizzo at first base because they had paid him money...
...On the other hand:
Cole has won a Cy Young for us, and finished 2nd, 4th, and 9th in the voting while a Yankees. In his 6 seasons in the Bronx, he has never had a real bummer of a season—never finished with a losing record or an ERA over 3.50, and his overall ERA with us is 3.18.
By contrast...
...HOFers CC Sabathia and Mike Mussina had repeated, awful seasons, while still raking in the bucks.
I loved CC, but years of 14-13, 4.78; 3-4, 5.28; 6-10, 4.73; 9-12, 3.91; 5-8, 4.95 meant that 5 of his 11 seasons were pretty much useless. And while I'm very glad that he got his drinking and other problems under control, having to take himself off a playoff roster because of same was not exactly a profile in courage...
...For that matter, half of Mussina's time in NYC was also a serious drag on the team. In 8 seasons with the Yanks, Sour Mike compiled ERAs of 4.05; 4.59; 4.41; and 5.15. (He also get a serious deduction from the judges for constant whining, including his blaming Mariano for his failure to win a ring while in New York.)...
...Overall, Cole's ERA with the Yanks has been 3.18; CC's was 3.81, Mussina's 3.88.
Which brings us to the postseason.
CC had some big October moments, including for us in 2009. But overall, he was 10-7, 4.28 in the postseason, and 0-1, 3.29 in the World Series.
Mussina, very rarely a big-game pitcher, was 7-8, 3.42 in October, and 1-1, 3.00 in the World Series.
Cole, by contrast, actually IMPROVED in the postseason, going 11-6, 2.77, including 1-1, 2.36 in the Series...
...And once again, the failure of Cole to do more for us falls squarely on the square, money-sick heads of Hal & Pal.
The Yanks knew enough to draft Cole first in 2008, but failed to overwhelm with an offer, leaving him to waste five good years in Pittsburgh. Then they stood by while Houston traded four nonentities to the Pirates for him, leaving him to go a combined 35-10, 2.68 with our main rivals in the AL—not to mention 5-2 in the postseason.
He was, in the end, yet another player who could have made all the difference...if Hal really cared about making all the difference.
"Where would we be without Headrick and Blackburn?" Can we just go ahead and shorten them to "Head-burn" for the rest of the season?! (-:
It’s difficult to parse the statistics of pitchers in this era because of the recurrent injuries that plague seemingly everyone. I’d say it falls upon the modern approach to pitching which places extreme stress upon the arm. So does Cole belong in the HOF? I’ll have to withhold judgement until his career is done, but we certainly need to reevaluate how we judge who is considered worthy for the Hall.
Speaking of pitching stats, isn’t it high time that we redo the criteria for awarding a pitcher the win? Many starters now routinely pitch less than 5 innings and are automatically excluded. It’s crazy that a middle reliever can come in, throw a few pitches and be awarded the win based on what the offense does. It would at least restore some accuracy and validity to the win statistic. I don’t want to hear about tradition either, not in a game with ghost runners and pitch clocks.
Good observations, BTR. I agree with you. They so busy chaining the rules and making the game worse, but this variance in stats value truly could use an examination.
You make a good point. They need to change how wins are credited but I'd like to think that a "starter" should pitch at least half the game to get the win.
So 4 2/3?
Dickburn?
Nah, I think that it should still be five innings, though I see your point. But say you get through 4 2/3, leading 6-5, and the pen holds the lead. Do you deserve a win for that?
The converse would be leading 10-0 at 100 pitches, get pulled with bases empty after 4-2/3. Reliever #1 gets gives up two hits and a walk before striking out. Doesn't give up a run, but bad pitching. Each inning after new relievers 2-5. EACH gives up 2 runs.
Starter cannot get the win.
None of the relievers deserve it.
Needs to be something like the save rule. I don't know what, but that seems better than as it is now.
However, if they do it, you know ManFreak will fck it up.
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