Tuesday night’s Wild Card Game is the exact scenario that the Yankees envisioned when cutting Gerrit Cole a $324 million check prior to the 2020 season. Cole, who had established himself as one of the top pitchers in the game, would give the Yankees a true ace in do-or-die playoff games, something that had been lacking in their recent postseason exits.
Cole, who was worthy of that confidence in last year’s playoffs, hasn’t looked the part of late, but his battery mate has no doubt that the playoffs will again bring out the best in Cole on Tuesday night.
“Of course. Everybody believes he's going to step up and bring his best game,” Kyle Higashioka told reporters on Monday. “He's preparing mentally right now as we speak. And I'm preparing; the whole team's preparing. It takes everyone. It's not just going to be him out there. It's going to be nine of us plus everyone on the bench, and we are going to have to all play a part.”
It will indeed take a collective effort if the Yanks hope to survive their bitter rivals and advance to the ALDS for the fifth year in a row, but it starts with Cole, who will look to hold down a potent Boston lineup that will be shorthanded with J.D. Martinez out due to a sprained ankle. Cole held the Red Sox scoreless through five innings his last time at Fenway before allowing a three-run home run to Rafael Devers in the sixth, his fifth long ball allowed in three starts in Boston.
The Yanks were fortunate enough to get a win that night thanks to an uncharacteristically bad start from Nathan Eovaldi, who has otherwise been dominant against the Yankees in his career, including this season. Assuming Eovaldi returns to form, or at least some version closer to it, Cole will need to be better than his recent starts since coming back from hamstring tightness.
Listen to New York sports talk now on Audacy and shop the latest Yankees team gear
“I think the good thing about being a pitcher rather than a position player, you have those four days in between starts to be able to make an adjustment and come out and do a completely different thing the next game,” Higashioka said. “I wouldn't say it's like just because he had a bad start last time, that means he's going to have a bad start again. You know, there's always time to prepare and make adjustments for your next game, and we're going to go out and do that.”
Tuesday will be the biggest start of the season for Cole, who had success in these spots for the Yanks last year. So regardless of how his September has looked, Higashioka has no concerns about needing to change anything with Cole, and doesn’t expect anything less than an ace-like outing on Tuesday.
“I would just say on the field, he can elevate his game when it's a big situation. But I mean, in terms of the preparation, it's always the same,” Higashioka said. “He had a couple shaky starts recently but mixed with some good ones. I just have no doubt that he's going to come out and make sure that he's got his best stuff. You know, he's a guy that rises to the occasion, so I'm not really too worried about him.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch