"It was very special for me" - MLB All-Star Gerrit Cole after receiving standing ovation following first postseason start at Yankee Stadium
New York Yankees star Gerrit Cole received a huge standing ovation after making his first postseason start during the game against the Cleveland Guardians at Yankees Stadium on XXX (mention the day).
After the team's 4-1 win in the opening game of the series, Cole expressed his emotions in an interview with Fox Sports.
He said:
"It was very special for me. The game’s not over, so it’s not the most comfortable time to acknowledge the crowd, but I certainly felt it and appreciated it."
Cole's last postseason appearance came against the Red Sox in the American League Wild Card Game in late 2021. He started ahead of Nestor Cortes in Game 1 of the series, and pitched 6⅓ innings of one-run ball. He threw more than 97 pitches in 20 starts in the regular season, and was hopeful of featuring as a key player in the postseason.
Yankee Stadium standing ovation for Gerrit Cole in the postseason. Great start from him https://t.co/AKRaieluKL
The 32-year-old also praised Harrison Bader for using his smart play to prevent Amed Rosario from getting on the scoreboard.
He continued:
"Excellent defensive play there. Reminds me of a ball George [Springer] cut off in the World Series a few years ago holding Howie Kendrick to a single, and we capitalized on it. Oswaldo made a great play up against the wall, kind of continues to just be so impressive. And Donaldson was down and dirty for us, too, in the hot corner."
Manager Aaron Boone praises Gerrit Cole after win over Guardians
Cole set a franchise record with 257 strikeouts in the regular season, but also allowed 33 homers this season, which put his spot in jeopardy. Cole is 3-1 with a 3.38 ERA and 41 strikeouts in five postseason starts for the team. Manager Aaron Boone was pleased with his decision to start with Cole.
He said:
“Gerrit was really good. He did a really good job of owning the moment and being unpredictable. And I thought his breaking ball was really on point.”
With the win, Gerrit Cole and the Yankees got off to the perfect start against the Guardians. However, in a best-of-five series, Boone will be expecting a counter-attack from their opponents.
The second game of the series will take place tomorrow at Yankee Stadium