Yankees 'optimistic' about Cole
Starting pitcher Gerrit Cole left Tuesday's game in the fourth inning with a hamstring injury but is hoping to make his next Yankees start.
Gerrit Cole does not sound too worried about the hamstring injury that compelled him to leave Tuesday's start early, and the New York Yankees hope his instincts are right.
Cole signalled for the physio with two outs in the fourth inning of a 5-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays and departed the game with what the team officially called left hamstring tightness.
Manager Aaron Boone said after the Yankees' eighth defeat in 10 games that the team has not scheduled an MRI on Cole's leg.
"I know in talking to Gerrit, he feels pretty optimistic about it, something that’s popped up with him before," Boone told reporters. "Hopefully, it’s something he got out in front of enough and we’ll see where we’re at in the coming days."
Cole said he began to feel discomfort earlier in the fourth inning, which began with two Toronto singles, a sacrifice fly, a walk and another sacrifice fly that put the Yankees in a 3-1 hole.
Cole: "You’re only one pitch away from making it worse"
"I was out there for a few pitches trying to weigh the pros and cons, and I just wasn’t sure I was going to be able to get through the inning," Cole said. "You’re only one pitch away from making it worse."
Cole was pitching on extra rest after dominating the Los Angeles Angels in his previous start on September 1. He allowed four hits and a run with no walks and 15 strikeouts in seven innings of that game, his fourth strong start in a row after spending two weeks on the covid-19 injured list.
It was not immediately clear on Tuesday whether Cole would miss his next scheduled start.
"It’s tough to say right now," he told reporters. "I’m obviously disappointed about the outcome of today. I just want to reserve judgment and see how this thing reacts the next 24-36 hours.
"I guess maybe for my own mentality I just want to make sure I’m good or if I need a few extra days.
"I’m gonna definitely be as smart about it as I can, and trust my instincts... Hopefully I’ll be able to make the next one. We’ll see how it shakes out."