Gerrit Cole (Elsa/Getty Images)
Gerrit Cole said being an ace on theNew York Yankees’ pitching staff is MLB’s toughest role as heprepares to start Game 1 of the team’s American League DivisionSeries matchup with the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday.
“I think it’s the hardest job in theleague,” Cole told Lindsey Adler of The Athletic. “I don’t thinkthere’s a harder place to be the ace. I think it’s the most huntedjob in the league, and I think it comes with the most weight. Thedivision is a f–king [gauntlet]. Above all else, I’m paid to keep usin the game as long as I can and take the ball every single f–kingtime that I can and charge straight into the fire.”
The 32-year-old California nativeaccepted the pressure that comes with being the Yanks’ No. 1 starterwhen he signed a nine-year, $324 million contract ahead of the 2020season.
He’s mostly lived up to expectations,compiling a 3.28 ERA and 1.02 WHIP with 594 strikeouts in 455 inningsacross 75 starts for New York.
Cole told Adler he could have signedanywhere, joking he could have been closer to home “grilling burgers and drinkingbeer and gambling on football games” rather than preparing for theplayoffs if he joined the Los Angeles Angels, but he was drawn to thepressure of being a Yankee.
“Yeah, but like once you play here,it’s like, who gives a shit about the rest of the league?” thefive-time All-Star said. “The level of commitment to winning hereis unchallenged across the landscape of the league.”
He added: “I like a fight, I guess.But just because I like it tough doesn’t mean that it’s not hard.”
Every year is championship-or-bust forthe Yankees, whose 27 World Series titles are 16 more than any otherMLB franchise.
That level of expectation hasn’tchanged, even in an era where teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers andNew York Mets are posting the league’s highest payrolls.
The Yankees had a 99-63 record towin the AL East this year, but that’ll be a mere footnote if theydon’t parlay it into postseason success.
“Every game that you pitch during theregular season is an opportunity to fine-tune your process and theway you go about your business so that it becomes automatic insituations like this,” Cole told Adler.
Game 1 between the Yanks and Guardiansis set for a 7:37 p.m. ET first pitch Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium. Television coverage will be on TBS.
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