Yankees Considering Huge Pitching Decision For ALDS

The New York Yankees are seemingly waffling a bit on who will take the ball to start Game 1 of their American League Division Series next week. Even as recently as two weeks ago, manager Aaron Boone (stubbornly, some Yankees fans would say) insisted that Gerrit Cole would get the start.

But not so fast.

Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake says the team hasn't quite made that decision yet. “I wouldn’t say we’ve had any substantive conversations about it yet,” Blake told the New York Post. “It could be Nestor [Cortes] or Gerrit,” Blake said.

This would mark a substantive change from Boone's recent thoughts.

But that would have been before Cole continued his recent stretch of getting roughed up. His ERA in his last four games is 5.79, while surrendering 8 homers in 23 innings. Overall, he's 13-7 with a 3.51 ERA and 1.02 WHIP on the season. He gets one more chance to show his stuff in the nightcap of Tuesday's doubleheader, the penultimate game of the season.

Cortes, on the other hand, has continued to be the true ace of the Yankees' staff. In his last 4 starts, he has a 0.77 ERA, with zero home runs allowed. On the season, he's 12-4 with a 2.44 ERA and 0.92 WHIP.

Nasty Nestor capped off his regular season on the weekend with his best start of the year. He is definitely ready. And he is certainly the fans' choice.

Nasty Nestor did the thing!! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/8RJGKS7hjO
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) October 1, 2022

Let's recap that. Last four starts:

Cole 5.79 ERA 8 HR allowed
Cortes 0.77 ERA 0 HR allowed

Even Cole is ready to concede Game 1 to Nestor.

Gerrit Cole on Nestor Cortes pitching game 1: “There’s certainly some merit to that. I just want to win. I’m not here to be the ‘Game 1 guy’ and be worried about that. I’m just here to do my job. Whatever they ask me to do.”
— MichiganYankees (@MichiganYankees) October 4, 2022