NEW YORK — Pitching, pitching, pitching — that’s what ultimately wins in the playoffs. At least, that’s what the old saying says.
The New York Yankees may just have enough to win their first World Series title in 15 years and their 28th in the franchise’s illustrious history, even against an offense that is every bit as impressive as what the Los Angeles Dodgers hope to deploy. That is, if their two best starters do what many expect.
Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón were given huge money contracts in hopes of becoming co-aces and turning out workhorses that were expected to take a lot of pressure off the Yankees’ lineup and prevent the bullpen arms from overextending would be used.
Through the first two rounds of this season’s playoffs, Cole and Rodón were good, but not great. They’d probably have to be exceptional to pull off something like that former MVPs Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, plus a handful of other hitters the Dodgers have complete confidence in.
It all starts Friday night when Cole takes the ball in Game 1 at Dodger Stadium.
See the the full Yankees-Dodgers 2024 MLB World Series schedule can be found here.
Gerrit Cole is not yet Gerrit Cole
When Cole signed his nine-year, $324 million contract with New York before the 2020 seasonFans and many media types said only multiple championships could justify such an investment. Of course, baseball rarely, if ever, works that way. But almost five years after his deal, this is his best chance to prove his worth once and for all.
Manager Aaron Boone said earlier this week that this isn’t even up for discussion.
“He’s been everything we hoped he would be when we brought him here,” Boone said. “He’s been one of the top guys of this era. Obviously he’s had a great career. He’s on a Hall of Fame circuit, beat us in 2019 with Houston, and he obviously came in here with a lot of expectations and a lot of weight.” He is the ace of our staff and he has been that in every way.”
One look at Cole’s regular season and it would be easy to have some concerns. The reigning American League Cy Young Award winner missed the first 75 games due to right elbow inflammation, and when he returned it took a long time to build up his stamina and refine his arsenal.
The 34-year-old right-hander finished 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA in 17 starts. He followed that up with a win and a pair of no-decisions in postseason series victories over the Kansas City Royals and Cleveland Guardians, posting a 3.31 ERA over 16 1/3 innings.
The highlight was a seven-inning, one-run performance in New York’s 3-1 ALDS victory over Kansas City in Game 4. Cole made big pitches when he had to. It was a much better performance than in Game 1, when he allowed four runs (three of them earned) in five innings in the Yankees’ 6-5 victory.
Cole pitched just once in the five-game ALCS win over Cleveland, giving up two earned over 4 1/3 innings in Game 2.
Again, good but not vintage Cole.
When he looks more like his usual dominant self, Cole lifts his driving fastball and works the inner half of the plate to put away the slider. Expect him to try to do the same against the Dodgers.
“He’s had those moments of truth and those moments of difficulty that he’s responded to so well during his time with us,” Boone said. “He’s proven that he’s a great pitcher, and we’re obviously blessed to be able to get him the ball to get this thing going.”
Cole’s postseason record – 11-6 with a 2.98 ERA in 20 starts with three teams – suggests there is no stage too big for him. He has never won a World Series, but has made it clear that all he wanted to do was win one with the Yankees, the team he grew up rooting for in Southern California.
“This is a dream come true. It’s a very wild experience, to be honest. It probably hasn’t fully sunk in yet,” Cole said Thursday evening. “I mean, the challenge with big games is not to make them bigger than they really are. It’s the same game we’ve been playing all year.”
As for navigating the Dodgers minefield in a lineup, Cole said, “You’re not really sure what the opposition is going to do, and you know they’re deadly when they swing. I think they’ll get their hits at some point. point in this series. Just try to determine what you can control in that situation. That’s just preparing as you normally do and throwing as many condemned pitches as you can.
Carlos Rodón may be under even more pressure
Rodón will start Game 2 on Saturday night and will look to continue the momentum he built in the ALCS.
After fourteen wins and a sub-3.00 ERA for the San Francisco Giants in 2022, a body of work that led to him signing a six-year, $162 million contract with the Yankees, Rodón’s first season in the Bronx was a nightmare riddled with injuries and wild inconsistency as he went just 3-8 with an ugly 6.85 ERA in 14 starts.
However, the 31-year-old left-hander made a nice turnaround in 2024, showing along the way that he can do anything. He finished his rebounding campaign 16-9 with a 3.96 ERA in 32 starts. Perhaps his most impressive stats were allowing just 157 hits while striking out 195 in 175 innings.
Like Cole, Rodón throws a variety of pitches, but he gets his best results by using his four-seam fastball early in the count to set up his hard slider and changeup.
Unlike in the ALDS against Kansas City, when he started fast and then fell apart in Game 2most of those places were on full display in the next round against Cleveland. Rodón made two starts and allowed just three earned runs while striking out 15 and walking just one over 10 2/3 innings.
He said Thursday night that he has enough experience to handle what is sure to be a raucous crowd at Chavez Ravine.
“I’ve pitched at Dodger Stadium before,” Rodón said. ‘I think it will be similar [as to] when you’re in a Giants jersey, but a little bit louder, obviously a lot more during the games. But I think it’s going to be a fun atmosphere. It’s going to be a fun experience and the goal is obviously to go out and win the baseball game. So that’s what I’m most focused on.”
Expect the Yankees to trot out their top two pitchers at least four times in what will be a very long fall classic.
