Gerrit Cole Chased Off Mound by Red Sox in American League Wild Card Game
Gerrit Cole's first appearance of the postseason didn't last long, and as a result, it was also his last.
The UCLA baseball alumnus got the start for the New York Yankees in Tuesday night's American League Wild Card Game versus the rival Boston Red Sox. Cole may not have entered the one-game series with a World Series ring to his name, but he still boasted a 2.68 ERA and 0.881 WHIP across his 13 previous career playoff appearances.
That type of production was nowhere to be found Tuesday, as Cole allowed three earned runs and two homers before getting pulled with no outs in the top of the third and eventually getting stuck with the loss.
Cole walked third baseman Rafael Devers with two down in the first inning, bringing shortstop Xander Bogaerts to the plate. Bogaerts took a changeup right down the middle deep to center, and suddenly Cole's squad was down 2-0 less than one frame in.
After Cole worked through the second unscathed, designated hitter Kyle Schwarber crushed a high fastball from Cole over the right field wall to lead off the third and make it 3-0.
One infield single and one walk later, Cole's night was done, and the crowd at Fenway Park got loud as he made his way back to the visiting dugout.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said there were no health issues that compelled him to give Cole the hook and that it was purely a baseball decision. Cole now has a 8.24 ERA across his last four outings, including Tuesday night.
As well as he had played in previous postseasons, Tuesday looked eerily similar to Cole's loss to the Chicago Cubs in the 2015 National League Wild Card Game.
Cole had strung together one of the best seasons in the league in 2021, earning his fourth All-Star appearance while putting up a 16-8 record with a 3.23 ERA. He is a near-lock to be a finalist for the AL Cy Young and he has the second-best odds to take home the award for the first time in his career.
Back in his UCLA days, Cole posted a 3.38 ERA with 376 career strikeouts. He was the first-ever No. 1 overall pick to come out of Westwood, but the Bruins continuously failed to get over the hump and win the College World Series while Cole was on campus.
Cole is currently the highest-paid pitcher in baseball. He signed a nine-year, $324 million contract with New York in December 2019, including a $36 million salary for 2021.
The Yankees' hopes of moving on in the playoffs took a major hit when Cole allowed the two early long balls. New York, which entered the season as the favorite to win the American League, wound up losing the Boston 6-2.
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