For Cole family, baseball and philanthropy go hand in hand
BALTIMORE -- Gerrit Cole’s baseball career is built around five-day intervals -- pitch, recover, prepare and repeat. It’s a schedule that has always worked for the Yankees ace, but through the Gerrit and Amy Cole Foundation, he and his wife are thinking much farther into the future.
The Coles recently welcomed MLB.com into their Connecticut home, where they discussed why they are using their platform to support children and families, guided by the belief that every child deserves the opportunity to be healthy, educated and safe.
“It was a really special moment when we decided to start the foundation and give back to our communities,” Gerrit said. “We appreciate everything that our communities do to uplift us, and we want to be a part of them. We want to be able to give back and make them a better place.”
The foundation directs funding to five main areas: pediatric cancer research, childhood hunger in America, education, culture and arts education, and athletic opportunities.
One relationship that has become particularly meaningful to the Coles has been with the Laboratory School of Finance and Technology in the Bronx, where they have helped fund educational field trips and other experiences, including visits focused on American history.
“We’ve been able to go in person and meet the students and faculty,” Amy said, “and just give these kids opportunities outside of the school. That’s just been a really fun school to work with.”
For the Coles, the work has also become part of the example they hope to set at home.
Their sons, Caden, 6, and Everett, 3, frequently attend their dad’s starts in full Yankees uniforms. Though they are still years away from having any real role in the foundation, Gerrit and Amy want philanthropy to feel as natural to them as baseball already does.
“I want giving back to be a normal part of our kids’ lives,” Amy said. “I want them to see what the foundation is doing, and hopefully inspire them to do the same.”
Baseball, meanwhile, is already a staple. Gerrit is in his seventh year living his childhood dream as the Yankees’ ace, while Amy says the kids have found some of her UCLA softball highlights on YouTube. Her brother, Brandon Crawford, played 14 seasons in the Majors, mostly with the Giants.
“I’m sure they don’t understand how rare it is, because it’s become sort of a family business,” Amy said. “It’s their normal.”
The boys know the Yankees’ roster intimately and want to be at the ballpark whenever their father pitches.
“They’re pretty locked in. They’re really into it,” Amy said. “They put the uniform on because it’s game day. It’s like, ‘Of course, I’m going to wear my uniform. We’ve got a game today.’”
Known for his intensity on the field and meticulous preparation between starts, Gerrit Cole shifts into a different gear when he’s in Dad mode. He describes parenthood as an “adventure,” one that constantly challenges him to improve.
“Dad Gerrit is learning patience a lot,” he says, with a chuckle. “He’s learning how to be a better dad. Your kids test you in different ways every single day.”
And even on start days, those two worlds can occasionally collide. Sometimes Cole will scan the seats and spot Amy with the boys, munching on hot dogs and cheering for their father to strike the next batter out.
“It’s obviously a tremendous blessing,” Gerrit said. “The first half of my career, I never experienced anything like that. But the one thing is, when you become a dad, you never stop being a dad. Sometimes by chance I run into them with my vision, or sometimes I know where they are.
“Anytime I find them, the kids are so grounding for me. I can’t help but take a moment to just make sure they know that dad’s still there. It might actually be a little helpful, too.”