Once it was clear Gerrit Cole was going to miss two-plus months, at minimum, where would the Yankees have signed up for having the second-best record in the AL and being 12 games over .500 one-quarter of the way into the schedule?
How about having that record with Aaron Judge not himself for the first month-plus before his recent surge?
It speaks well of the Yankees. It speaks well in particular to Juan Soto’s acclimation to The Bronx and how terrific the rest of the starters have done in Cole’s stead.
Those starters have been the key to me. There were lots of questions about health, makeup and performance at the dawn of the season. And none of the quintet of Nestor Cortes, Luis Gil, Carlos Rodon, Clarke Schmidt and Marcus Stroman has missed a start and each has responded with fortitude while carrying the burden without Cole.
The Yankees have not had a starter complete fewer than four innings. Only the Orioles have matched that feat. The Yankees also have had a starter allow more than four runs in a game just twice, an MLB low.
Combine those two stats and it means a Yankees starter pretty much has given the team a chance to win in every one of the team’s 42 games — the exception being the team’s worst start of the season: the four-inning, three-homer, seven-run blow-up by Rodon at Camden Yards on May 2. The longer starts also have protected the bullpen from overuse and overexposure.
Gil has been impressive since the first time he lifted his arm in spring training. He has been the AL’s best rookie starter this season (and is still eligible for Rookie of the Year).
Think of it like this: If Cole had a 2.51 ERA and was second in the majors among qualified starters with a .142 batting average against, we would think he would be in line to challenge for another Cy Young. Those are the numbers for Gil (albeit with fewer innings than Cole likely would have through eight standard starts and with far more walks).
Schmidt has graduated from surprising sturdiness last season to a higher level of dependability. The Gil-Schmidt duo has been the Yankees’ two best starters, which is fascinating because one or the other would have been considered most likely to be bounced from the rotation when Cole returns.
That is still probably a month from now, but Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone would be thrilled if they actually have to make that decision because every starter is continuing to pitch well and still healthy. When it comes to baseball, in general, and pitching, in particular, you know a crisis is always lurking. The health of this week is losing two starters next.
