The 2023 MLB season has been a struggle for the New York Mets, with several players underperforming. Newly signed ace Justin Verlander is one of them, as he seems unable to find a rhythm. During a game against the New York Yankees, he faced off against his former teammate Gerrit Cole. Recently, Verlander opened up about that matchup and what it felt like facing his former teammate.

Notably, the Mets-Yankees series is one of the biggest rivalries in Major League Baseball. But since Cole is a good friend of Verlander, the Mets ace had only good things to say about the veteran Yankee ace.

Justin Verlander talks about facing former teammate Gerrit Cole

During their 2 years together, Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole were one of the best duos in baseball. During the 2018 and 2019 seasons, they starred for the Houston Astros, with Verlander winning the Cy Young in 2019. The Mets’ ace recently opened up about facing Cole in the ongoing Subway Series. He said that he is still good friends with the Yankees’ ace. Verlander even tipped his hat to Cole out of respect before the game. GENY Mets Report shared this via Twitter. 

Verlander said, “Gerrit and I are still good friends. It was funny, we were talking about it a while ago and he was like, ‘Alright, so when does this radio silence happen? I gave him a little hat tip before the game when we were warming up, just out of respect.” 

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That respect turned into an epic clash on the field as both pitchers gave their all. Cole had a good game in what has been a great season for him thus far. Verlander had one of his best performances this season, pitching 6 innings and only giving up 1 run. This is a far cry from his nervy debut. Earlier this month, he spoke about his troubled season. 

Justin Verlander admits that nothing is coming easy

In an interview, Justin Verlander talked about his underwhelming 2023 season. The Mets’ star pitcher shared that nothing is coming easy to him and he has to grind for every out. Furthermore, he himself does not expect to pitch the way he is pitching now. But Verlander is determined to improve and get back to his best form. This most recent game against the Yankees may be the start of a comeback in the season. Only time will tell.

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What do you think of New York Mets ace Justin Verlander’s thoughts on his encounter with Gerrit Cole? Please share your views in the comments below!