Down 0-2, The Yankees Turn To Ace Gerrit Cole in Game 3

The Yankees find themselves in a difficult – but not insurmountable – deficit as Gerrit Cole prepares to face the Astros in Game 3 of the ALCS.

The last time the Yankees trailed a best-of-seven series two games to none and won it, they beat the Atlanta Braves in the 1996 World Series.

But such comebacks are rare. Per Sportsnet Stats, only 14 of 88 teams (15.9%) have come away victorious after starting a best-of-seven series 0-2. New York has actually done it four times, including that dynasty-starting turnaround in 1996.

The question now is if the Yankees can pull off another come-from-behind series win after the Astros took Games 1 and 2 of the ALCS from them in Houston. The games have been decided by tight margins, but New York has also struck out 30 times in the series. That type of production doesn’t inspire confidence with the matchup moving to Yankee Stadium on Saturday, though having ace Gerrit Cole on the mound certainly does for New York.

“Regardless if it's 2-0 or if it's 1-1 or it's 0-2, it can't affect the way I go about my business,” Cole, a former Astro, told reporters Thursday night. “We all have a job to do. We play each and every game in and of itself, play each and every pitch within each and every game until there's no more pitches to play, win or lose.”

The Yankees are 2-0 in games Cole has pitched in this postseason. He made two starts in the American League Division Series against the Guardians, allowing one earned run over 6.1 innings in Game 1, which took place in the Bronx. The right-hander then held Cleveland to two earned over seven innings in Game 4 at Progressive Field.

Cole struck out eight batters in both outings.

Now the 32-year-old returns to Yankee Stadium with his team in desperate need of a win. Otherwise, the Yankees will be a game away from elimination.

Said manager Aaron Boone: “[We] certainly feel [there’s] no one better than Gerrit to hand the ball to to get us right back in this.”