NEW YORK – For those who were in the Yankees’ clubhouse at that time, memories of the 2024 World Series are looked upon as “one of those things that leaves a scar,” as manager Aaron Boone was saying before Friday’s game against the Dodgers.
Gerrit Cole knows a thing or two about scars; after all, he’s sporting a relatively fresh one on his pitching elbow.
Aiming to turn the page from the last time his club hosted Los Angeles in the Bronx, Cole twirled a gem but hung around one batter too long, serving up a go-ahead home run to Max Muncy in the seventh inning of the Yankees’ 2-1 loss.
“In hindsight, I probably should grab him there,” Boone said. “He pitched so well. I felt like he had enough to get Max. That’s on me: I should probably get him there, even though I felt like he was in a good place and he obviously threw the ball great tonight.”
With his pitch count creeping toward an eventual season high of 103, Cole issued a six-pitch walk to Mookie Betts that drew Boone from the first-base dugout. Boone said he walked to the mound “feeling the situation out,” knowing both Fernando Cruz and Brent Headrick were ready in the bullpen.
“You got one more in you?” Boone asked Cole.
“Of course,” Cole replied, and the matter was settled.
“Sometimes,” Boone said later, “you’ve got to take it out of their hands.”
Cole got ahead of Muncy 0-2, then tried a slider that home-plate umpire Junior Valentine didn’t call. No one challenged, but Cole thought it nicked the corner.
“Oh gosh, yeah, I did,” Cole said. “Dude, it’s so close. I feel like if it’s under an inch, it’s like flip it. You’ve got to go with your gut. But at the same time, my mindset is that I can always make another pitch. It’s just one more pitch.”
So Cole went back to work, trying a slider that was fouled off and a fastball that sailed up and away. Cole went back to the slider, but he missed his spot, with Muncy clubbing it into the second deck in right field for a two-run shot.
“I looked at the pitch; it’s not where I wanted it,” Cole said. “But I looked at the swing and it was pretty excellent. It stinks.”
The Yankees’ only run off Roki Sasaki came in the fourth inning, when Jasson Domínguez doubled, advanced on an error and scored on a passed ball. They threatened in the eighth, when Trent Grisham worked a one-out walk and Ben Rice ripped an Alex Vesia slider for a double to right-center field.
“I thought we definitely had a chance [to score],” Rice said.
Grisham has dealt with a recurring right hamstring issue this season, costing him time in June, and he appeared to slow as he approached third base. Grisham didn’t believe that was the case, saying he picked up third-base coach Luis Rojas “great.”
“I saw it was a double off the wall, so I’m assuming go at all times,” Grisham said. “… I’m conscious of my hammy, coming back from it, but I had a good rehab. It went well. I feel good now.”
Waved home, Grisham was cut down as center fielder Andy Pages fed Betts, who fired home to catcher Dalton Rushing. Betts’ throw was slightly off-line, but close enough for Rushing to get back in time to apply a tag.
“I thought Luis actually did a good job in reading the throw that was going over the second baseman’s head,” Boone said. “Mookie was kind of on the run to have to go make the play, and then made a pretty good throw on the run. I don’t have an issue with taking the shot there.”
Otherwise, the Yankees’ bats were quiet – as Grisham said, “Sometimes you score 10. Sometimes you score one.”
This night was the latter, leaving New York to try to squeeze positives from Cole’s outing. He struck out eight over six-plus innings, permitting just four hits and one walk in his 10th start since returning from Tommy John surgery.
Until May 22 of this season, Cole’s most recent big league contest had been the deciding Game 5 of the 2024 World Series, when five unearned runs scored in a disastrous fifth inning that included a gassed Cole failing to cover first base on a Betts grounder.
Friday’s overwhelming takeaway wasn’t all that different from an October night in 2024.
“You’ve got to keep making pitches,” Cole said, “especially against a great team like the Dodgers.”