“He’s the Best…On and off the Field”: As Gerrit Cole Almost Seals Cy Young, No One Is More in Awe of Him Than Aaron Judge

In the world of baseball tales, Gerrit Cole blazes like a comet streaking across the sky. Though his blazing performances couldn’t salvage the team’s playoff dreams, he remains steadfast on his quest for the illustrious Cy Young Award. Each game showcases his candidacy, and even Aaron Judge lauds his recent display against The Toronto Blue Jays.

Despite the playoff doors being closed, the Yanks need to finish the season as best as they can in the remaining games. Cole is giving his all in every game, despite his team disappointing him most of the time. Against the ongoing Toronto Blue Jays series, again, the pitcher has set a mark, making his Cy Young Award potentially stronger. His influence is so strong that the Yankees captain even went as far as to say that Cole sets a “benchmark” as a pitcher.

The Yankees Captain Aaron Judge Fawning Over Star Pitcher Gerrit Cole

Gerrit Cole and the Yankees have been going in two different directions from the beginning. While the pitcher was at the peak of his career, achieving records and milestones, the team performed below average in most games. Probably the major reason behind it was their captain’s absence. However, even after the playoff miss, the Cole endeavor is going on, bringing affectionate praise from the captain. After the second win against the Blue Jays, Judge referring to 2019 AL ERA Leader said, “ This is Gerrit Cole’s era, that’s for sure”.

Even after a horrible season like 2023, the 33-year-old pitcher is trying to bring honor to his team with his Cy Young journey going on. A few weeks back, the team’s back-to-back defeats put a question mark on Cole’s potential for the award. The pitcher washed off everything with his current performance and season-long record. The 6x All-Star pitcher is one of the most consistent pitchers in this season with 2.63 ERA, the best in the American League.

The pitcher also has pitched 209 innings with 15 wins, 222 SO, and 0.98 WHIP. For the last seven games, his ERA has been 1.29. These are some of the best stats a pitcher can have in his career. With these, the Yankees’ star has almost seized the Cy Young this year. Moreover, his performance against the Blue Jays on Wednesday blew the opponent.

The Pinstripers won the series against the Blue Jays with their star pitcher’s performance and secured their second win in three games. Cole pitched a two-hitter to secure his second AL ERA title, striking out five, and walked none, snatching the 6-0 victory. He concluded the season with a total of 222 strikeouts over the course of 209 innings pitched. Moreover, Aaron Judge also provided him with good assistance by hitting two home runs.

The Yankees’ Manager, Like The Captain, is Awe-Struck by Cole’s Pitching Clinic

On one hand, regarding Cole’s recent display, the 2022 home run leader said, “That was the cherry on top to an incredible season out of him”. On the other hand, after witnessing their star pitcher’s flawless performance in the final game of the season, Yankees manager Aaron Boone couldn’t contain his excitement, saying, “That’s just a clinic in pitching. I think it embodied his season right there. Just fun to watch him go do that and absolutely put an exclamation point on the Cy Young Award with that performance.”

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Summing up how has the season and the players been Boone said, “This obviously hasn’t been the season we wanted but these guys have continued to play and show up with the right energy and focus”. 

Though Cole is leading the 2023 AL ERA right now, Minnesota Twins’ Sonny Gray is just behind him with 2.80. This opponent has to pitch at least 12 scoreless innings to beat Gerrit Cole. Only time will tell who takes the title home!

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