The Star Power of Gerrit Cole

Can’t Catch the Cole Train

Gerrit Alan Cole is a world-class pitcher who currently plays for the New York Yankees. Standing 6'4" tall, this right-handed pitcher weighs in at 220 pounds with a ferocious arm that has struck out plenty of MLB superstars. In 2020, Gerrit Cole racked up a Wins above Replacement figure of 0.8, with 3 wins, 0 losses, and 4 games played (August 2020). His career statistics are incredibly impressive, with a Wins above Replacement figure of 24.6, with 97 wins, 52 losses, and 196 games played.

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MLB Performances with Each Team

• Pittsburgh Pirates – 59 wins, 42 losses, and a win/loss ratio of .584
• Houston Astros – 35 wins, 10 losses, and a win/loss ratio of .778
• New York Yankees – 3 wins, 0 losses, and a win/loss ratio of 1.000

The Cole Train has played professional baseball for 8 years, and has a win/loss ratio of .651.

Scandal Plagues the Cole Train

Many great players have faced scandal throughout their careers. Very few can boast a near ‘squeaky-clean’ career like Cal Ripken Jr. The Ironman baseball – the former Baltimore Orioles front man remains a baseball legend. There are some nasty rumors going about that colour can juniors brother Winthrop Ripken actually played some of his games, to perpetuate extended winning spells, which invariably turned into losing performances – but that's an article for another time.

But today, we focus on the Houston Astros scandal, and see how that may tie in with Gerrit Cole, the new pitcher for the New York Yankees. Recall that the Houston Astros were fined $5 million for using video replay equipment to signal to players what to expect from the opposition. While the Houston Astros were never stripped of their 2017 World Series title, they came in for some flak from their opposition, and MLB management.

So, what does this have to do with Gerrit Cole? As fate would have it, Gerrit Cole played for the Houston Astros in 2018 and 2019. The rumor mill never lets up, and now, talk about how Cole has been using what is deemed ‘an illegal sticky substance such as pine tar’. Baseball pitchers routinely use stuff like this to better grip the baseball, and this was an issue when Cole played for the Astros in 2018. At the time, the Cincinnati Royals pitcher, Trevor Bauer condemned the Houston Astros for using the pine tar, and insisted that the MLB prohibit its use. As far as scandal goes, that's pretty much it – nothing sticks in this case.

Gerrit Cole Falls 1 Game Short of 20 Regular-Season Game Wins in a Row

You know a pitcher is on fire when he manages to get within 1 strike of celebrating his 20th consecutive regular-season MLB when. Few pitchers can claim these accolades, but Gerrit Cole is one of them. This superstar of the baseball arena inked a $324 million contract of 9 years – making one of the most prized assets in the game. His luck came to a screeching halt on the mound, when Aaron Judge of the Tampa Bay Rays stopped the Yankees in their tracks with a 5-3 result in the double-header that took place on Saturday.

For all intents and purposes, Gerrit Cole looked the part heading into the first innings. But Cole was getting tired, and it showed. Things didn't pan out the way he wanted, but he got right up there with the best of them, for the third-longest winning streak of all time. Other star performers include the likes of Rube Marquard (1910s – 1920s with the New York Giants), Jake Arrieta (Philadelphia Phillies), and the legendary Roger Clemens (win/loss record of 20:1 in 2001 for the New York Yankees). For his part, Cole struck at 10, gave up 6 hits, and walked 1. This player has plenty of gas left in his tank …

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*Photo Courtesy of Chris O'Meara and AP