Gerrit Cole tried not to mask his displeasure over coming in the seventh end of Wednesday’s loss to Tampa Bay. Not when Aaron Boone came on the mound to remove him from the tie game – and not later in the night when he addressed the media and refused to take Boone off the hook.
And Boone said he’s fine with and loves Cole’s competitive fire.
“At different times during the year, you have to make a difficult decision as a decision that is best for the team and for [the player], ” Boone said before the 10-5 loss to the Rays on Thursday. ‘And sometimes those will not be popular with the player. We totally agree, and every now and then we will disagree. And that’s part of the sport. ”
Wednesday’s game was the reason the Yankees Cole signed on a nine-year deal, $ 324 million, and the right hand was dominant for much of the outing, but he allowed two solo homers and was at 109 pitches. when Boone put him in favor of Zack Britton, who completed the inning before running into the eighth.
“I was in a good position to complete it,” Cole said Wednesday after the game. “[Boone] made the move before he even got out there that it did not really matter what I said to him on the mound. What I said in my glove I will leave behind. ”
Boone said he and Cole often spoke, both when he pitched again and other days, and the manager had no problem with anything the right-hander did or said.
‘I’m never overwhelmed when boys take care of their craft and take care of us and the team and the game,’ ‘Boone said. ‘I think that’s what we saw of Gerrit. He’s as good a competitor as there is. He’s an ace in this place. I love the fact that he wants the ball. When you play for a lot, that sometimes overwhelms, the emotion, when there is a lot on the line. I really have no problem with that. ”
Luke Voit homered in a fourth straight game Thursday. It is the second time he has homered in four straight games, the other being the last three games of 2018 and first of 2019. He also has five homers in the four games, as well as six in his past eight. … All five homers of Gio Urshela have come home. The third baseman also grabbed a 0-for-11 stretch with a double in the third inning.
With the news that the Yankees game against the Mets at Citi Field was postponed due to COVID cases with the Mets, Boone said he would stay with JA Happ as his starter if the teams can play Saturday.
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