Gerrit Cole to start Game One of the ALDS for Yankees

Gerrit Cole is scheduled to start Game One of the ALDS for the Yankees, Aaron Bone told members of the media on Thursday morning. This comes as no surprise; he’s the team’s ace and will have had plenty of rest after the Wild Card Series.

Cole, 30, pitched to a 2.84 ERA (3.89 FIP) over 73 innings for the Yankees in 2020. The right-hander hit speed bump at midseason, but he found another gear down the stretch. His strikeout (11.59 K/9) and home-run (1.73 HR/9) rates were slightly worse than his Houston years, but he still pitched like a frontline starter.

The Yankees’ ace started Game One of the Wild Card Series against the Indians. He tossed seven innings of two-run ball, striking out 13. That performance marks the second best postseason strikeout total by a Yankees starter, trailing only Roger Clemens in the 2000 ALCS.

Also of note, Kyle Higashioka will catch Game One, per Boone. Again, not surprising as he has established himself as Cole’s personal catcher, but noteworthy nonetheless.

We’ll have more details soon, especially as the rest of the rotation takes shape.