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    • Anthony Rizzo out of the squad, Gerrit Cole in the spotlight
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    Anthony Rizzo out of the squad, Gerrit Cole in the spotlight

    Kathleen William Posted on

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    NEW YORK – Not far removed from all those “gut punch” losses – Aaron Boone's oft-used term – in a lost 2023 season, a haymaker was delivered to Yankees Universe in March.

    Elbow. MRI. Gerrit Cole.

    A quiet spring training was turned upside down on March 11 as the Yankees, their fans and their ace processed the news and prepared for what came next.

    “They've been talking about uncertainty there for a while,” said Cole, who “got a second bite at the apple, and I'm in a really good position right now.”

    Nearly seven months after being diagnosed with right elbow nerve inflammation, Cole will be on the mound for the Yankees' best-of-five AL Division Series opener against the Kansas City Royals.

    “There's no one I want on the mound for Game 1 than Gerrit,” Yankees captain Aaron Judge said as Cole faced off against veteran righty Michael Wacha.

    Last year's unanimous AL Cy Young Award winner called 2024 a personal “season of perseverance,” during which he rehabbed for three months, started 17 times and was “in as good a position as he could get at that point.” I can only be… before the most important games of the year.''

    Anthony Rizzo was eliminated due to ALDS

    Until almost the last minute, the Yankees waited to see if Anthony Rizzo could be added to the ALDS roster, even though he was dealing with fractures to the fourth and fifth fingers of his right hand.

    Late Thursday, Rizzo said he wouldn't make it to the first round after Boone again labeled him a “loser.”

    That leaves either Ben Rice or Oswaldo Cabrera as the Yanks' starting first baseman in place of Rizzo, who now hope to be on the AL Championship squad if the Yanks advance.

    “I had to be honest with myself, and it’s hard,” Rizzo said. “But this team has a different vibe at the moment and I am confident that I can hopefully join them in the next round.”

    Interesting matchups between the Yankees and the Royals

    Michael Wacha vs. Aaron Judge

    The Yankees captain bats. 056 (1-for-18, single) against the Royals' veteran starter in Game 1, with 11 strikeouts.

    “I don't know if you increase the focus against him or not … but maybe you should just be a little more aware of, 'Hey, I can miss here' and things like that,” Wacha said of his approach against Richter. “You just have to make really good pitches against a guy like that.”

    With a six-pitch arsenal, Wacha relies on his changeup – with a 12 mph difference between that pitch and his fastball and hitters hitting just .169 against his changeup this year.

    “He comes after you,” Judge said of Wacha. “It’s a tough shot, but it’s definitely fun.”

    Interestingly, if Rizzo had been given the green light for the ALDS, he would be a .407 hitter (22-for-54) against Wacha, who would also likely start a Game 4 against Cole on regular rest if necessary.

    Gerrit Cole vs. Tommy Pham

    The right-handed hitting Pham is a .379 hitter (11 for 29) against the Yankees' ace and hit two home runs.

    “He’s a great fastball hitter,” Cole said. “Just a hard hitter who covers all parts of the strike zone and doesn’t really throw a pitch,” even in his first half with the 121-loss Chicago White Sox.

    Other than that, in his short career, Witt Jr. is 2-for-6 with two strikeouts against Cole, who did not face the Royals this season.

    “He’s a creative player,” Cole said. “He has power, speed, defense, throwing arm, he covers all parts of the attack zone.” Hits for average. “Don’t hunt much.”

    In Cole's five-pitch arsenal, he has increased the use of his cutter this year to 16.3 percent from 7 percent in 2023, according to MLB Statcast, but the four-seam fastball is still his best weapon.

    Bobby Witt Jr.'s respect for Yankees captains past and present

    Next month, there's a good chance Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. finish 1-2 in AL MVP voting.

    “It's great to be able to kind of compete with him on this stage,” said Witt Jr., the Royals' fabulous five-tool shortstop. “Just seeing the year he’s had is incredible…both his performance on and off the field.

    “I think he’s playing the game the right way. “He plays hard,” said Witt Jr. “It’s really cool to see a guy like that do what he’s done this year and in years past in a city like this.”

    Judge said it was “fun to watch him grow over the last few seasons, what he's doing now and how he's leading this team in the postseason.”

    Witt Jr.'s father, Bobby Sr., was on the staff of the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks, who won a dramatic World Series against the Yankees, and Witt Jr., born in 2000, grew up a Boston Red Sox fan who also idolized Derek Jeter .

    “Jeter and (Dustin) Pedroia were my two boys,” said Witt Jr. “Those two jerseys are still hanging on my wall, back in my room at my parents' house.

    “How they just played the game hard and rose to the occasion when they needed to,” said Witt Jr., who pulled up some Jeter highlights on his phone Thursday night to watch the October baseball game opener to be seen at Yankee Stadium.

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    Kathleen William
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