-
Marly RiveraESPN Writer
NEW YORK – A week before Christmas last year, the New York Yankees held a press conference at the posh Legends Club at Yankee Stadium to introduce him to Gerrit Cole after signing a $ 324 million contract, the richest contract for a pitcher in the Major League Baseball. history.
This time, the Yankees weren’t going to lose Cole, as they did when he chose to go to UCLA after they chose him 28th overall in 2008. And they wouldn’t lose him by having to sit back and watch him get recruited. 1 overall by the Pirates, as they couldn’t help it in 2011. And certainly, the Astros would not outdo the Bombers this time, as they did in the two-season trade in their services in a deal with Pittsburgh in 2018.
On that particular Wednesday, before signing, former Yankees captain Willie Randolph was running errands. The holidays were near, as were his grandchildren. He set his DVR for 11 a.m., a scheduled time for the Yankees’ presser to feature none other than his free agent “white whale.” The pitcher general manager Brian Cashman had tried to log out at Orange Lutheran High School was finally going to wear stripes. And suddenly, Randolph’s phone started exploding, with dozens of text messages coming in.
“‘Did you hear what Gerrit Cole said?’ and I wonder: “What are you talking about? I’ve never met the boy, what did he say? “Randolph told ESPN.” Why would you mention my name? That was really the first thing I thought; I was very surprised”.
Randolph ran to his house, and along with his wife, they fought with the DVR. It was then that everything was clear: Randolph had received a shout from the new ace of the Yankees. And at the time, the relationship between a family of Yankees fans and the players they rooted in added to a great addition that is sure to make history for baseball’s most historic franchise.
Cole’s father Mark is originally from Syracuse, spending part of his childhood in New York State and growing up as a Willie Randolph fan in the 1970s. His father’s fan is the reason why Gerrit grew up supporting to the Bronx Bombers and why he always believed he would one day wear stripes.
“My wife and I were looking at him and I thought, ‘Isn’t that great, man?’ It brightened my day, “said Randolph. “He was talking about his father being one of the biggest Yankees fans growing up in New York, and he said his favorite players were Willie Randolph and Mickey Rivers. I really liked it. I didn’t know his father was from the area. Listen That was a great time for me. My family loved it. “Dad, did you hear what Gerrit Cole said?” My son called me saying, “That’s great.”
“I swelled with pride,” added Randolph. “We had guys like Thurman Munson and Reggie Jackson and Chris Chambliss, all these great players, and I was like the unknown hero. For someone to say, ‘Willie Randolph was one of my favorite players,’ I really appreciate my fans, and the the fact that we are now connected in some way with his son is really cool. “
Cole was born in Newport Beach, California, on September 18, 1990. He grew up in Southern California and has told stories of running home from school to watch the Yankees games, which would play in the late afternoon because of at the time difference. The Cabbages would eventually attend Games 6 and 7 of the 2001 World Series together, when 11-year-old Gerrit held up the now-famous faded stripes sign that read: YANKEE FAN TODAY TOMORROW FOREVER.
And so Cole lived and grew during one of the most successful times enjoyed by Yankees fans of any age. And just as his father had grown up encouraging Randolph because of his hustle and bustle, Cole’s favorite player was a fellow pitcher who was also known for being a discreet Yankees star: Andy Pettitte.
Along with Hall of Fame member Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera and catcher Jorge Posada, Pettitte was a member of “Core Four,” the quartet of players who sustained a Yankees dynasty, winning four World Series championships in five years. Returning to the Yankees in ’07 after a turn with the Astros, the left-handed veteran added one more Yankee ring to his resume in 2009, the most recent of the team’s 27 titles.
That story and a fanatic’s respect for his childhood hero added to a big reason the Yankees asked Pettitte to help them recruit the most coveted free agent last winter, taking him to one of five meetings. they had with Cole while they were looking for one of the best in baseball. jugs
“The Yankees asked me to come. Booney [manager Aaron Boone] He told me Cole was a fan of mine, “Pettitte told ESPN.” I was there to give you a player’s perspective of being in New York. I’m glad I was able to help. “
Help did, but not knowing how much for what he had to say. Pettitte told Cole the most important thing he wanted to hear: He could be himself in New York.
Appealing to Cole’s competitive nature, Pettitte spoke in detail about playing and pitching on a stage like New York, about what it meant to wear pinstripes, and why Cole would be the jewel in the crown on a team built primarily around players. position gifted with pop in their bats and backed by the firepower of the bullpen.
“Andy gave me a very good perspective on how he made New York work for him. It was great to articulate how you can be comfortable,” Cole said. “You can live outside of the city; you can live in the city. It gave me the perspective of a player like, ‘Hello, New York and this isn’t all for me, but I made it work for me and my family. I ended up loving it.'” .
Pettitte, as is her nature, has no credit. Neither did Randolph. Cole’s signature was simply fate.
Randolph, who joined Pettitte as a guest instructor for the Yankees at the original start of spring training in February, finally had a chance to speak to the right one. Not surprisingly, he felt a connection.
Cole said to Randolph, “I’m an extension of my dad, in a way. I have to share this.” Randolph said, “You could see, it was almost as if he was there, watching me play, because he probably heard his father talk about it. We talked about how much [his dad] I liked my game, the way I played. He said, ‘My dad could come in the late spring. If not, I am sure you will find it in New York. And I said, ‘I can’t wait to meet him. I’m going to have a ball or a bat, I’m going to sign for him and present it to him and we could talk about the old days. “
Mark Cole saw the Randolph Yankees team in 1977 break a 15-year drought in the championship. Fifteen years: an eternity for Yankees fans. His son watched Pettitte win with some equally legendary teams, including the 1998 Yankees, who won a record 125 games (including the postseason) on the way to the title. Pettitte won all three games in the series in his 2009 title career representing the franchise’s most recent championship, one that also caused a nine-year drought.
Managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner opened the team’s checkbook for Cole in large part because not winning a title in over a decade is not acceptable, neither in New York, nor for the Yankees. And if the “Evil Empire” captures the 28th MLB crown once in this unique major league season, those who hate the Yankees are welcome to expose him to former stars like Pettitte and Randolph.
“You would never think that the son of a Yankees fan would end up being a Yankee, one of the best pitchers in the game, and then it turns out that you are one of his father’s favorite players,” said Randolph. “It’s kind of a storybook when you think about it. So it’s okay. Blame it on me.”
.
