Cole Earning His Pinstripes
Photo: Special to the New York Beacon
By Andrew Rosario
There have not been many positive stories as the Pandemic has cost the lives of more than 155,000 Americans. Professional and college athletes have tested positive impacting their particular sport. The delay to the start of the baseball season gave Yankees Aaron Judge time to recover from a rib injury and bruised lung that carried over from the previous September. If the season would have started on schedule, Judge would have been on the injured list. In the team’s first 9 games in this 60-game season, Judge has been as hot as the weather. The Bronx Bombers upped their record to 8-1 after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies this past Monday night 6-3. Newly acquired free agent Geritt Cole won again going 6 innings, striking out 4 and only giving up one run.
The night before, Judge blasted 2 home runs (5 rbi’s) in the 9-7 win over the division rival Boston Red Sox sweeping the series. It was the 5th straight game that Judge reached the seats. It earned him American League Player of the Week honors. He leads the team with 6th homers this short season. The last Yankee to hit home runs in 5 consecutive games was Alex Rodriguez in 2007. “I really think he’s on a mission now,” said manager Aaron Boone. “When he got that clean bill of health in summer camp, he started ramping up.”
Because of the impending storm scheduled to hit New York Tuesday, the game was postponed. The Yankees will travel down I95 to play a doubleheader Wednesday. Both games will be only 7 innings.
Getting back to Cole. He has been everything the Yankees thought he would be when they signed him to a 9-year, $324 million dollar contract. Cole has thrown 17.2 innings with 16 strikeouts against just 1o hits, 4 walks, and 5 ER against 16 strikeouts in 2020. Cole has not lost a game since last May as his streak is now at 19 games which began as a member of the Houston Astros. His next win would put him in a 4-way tie for third place on the all-time winning streak for a starting pitcher.
The way some teams and players have tested positive, the next game could be the last ending the 60 games season. It would be a shame as Judge could put up numbers no other player has in the abbreviated season. Let’s hope things get under control. It would be a shame to not finish what was started.
