OAKLAND, Calif. – The last time Gerrit Cole was on the mound before Friday, he was unbeatable at first and then made the “Intentional Walk Heard ‘Round the World” that sent his performance into a tailspin.
After five long days of waiting to get back on the field and much deliberation in between, Cole finally got a chance at redemption – as much as one can get against one of the worst teams in the league.
The result was his best start of the season, in which he pitched until the seventh inning for the first time this season – and then again in the eighth and ninth.
And it was only after Cole had completed nine innings that his offense finally came to life – thanks to some heroics from Juan Soto – and was rewarded with the victory.
Soto, who was taken out of the game about two hours before the first pitch because of soreness in his left knee, played a key role in the Yankees’ three-run rally at the start of the 10th inning that helped them to a 4-2 victory over the A’s in front of 23,426 spectators at the Coliseum.
After Cole threw his 99th and final pitch of the night, completing his two-hit, nine-inning feat, the score was still 1-1.
But the Yankees (90-64) quickly took the lead in the 10th inning. Anthony Rizzo hit a single to first that put automatic runner Jasson Dominguez on third base and gave him the opportunity to score the decisive point with a passed ball.
This happened during an at-bat by Soto, who was filling in for Trent Grisham as a pinch hitter after spending the evening on the bench because his left knee was swollen and sore from slamming it into the right outfield wall during a catch on Thursday in Seattle.
But Soto delivered, hitting an RBI double to left field to make the lead 3-1, at which point he was replaced by a pinch-runner.
Anthony Volpe added an RBI single – his third hit and second RBI of the night – to make it 4-1 and gave Luke Weaver some more breathing room as he ended the game in the bottom of the 10th inning.
The A’s (67-87) scored the automatic runner with a single against Weaver, but he struck out the next three batters for his third save of the season.
The Orioles’ win on Friday morning kept the Yankees’ lead in the AL East at four games with eight games remaining.
The Orioles’ victory also meant that the Yankees will not be able to win the division on this road trip, as their magic number for doing so is now five.
While winning the division remains the top priority heading into the final week of the season, it is also critical to the Yankees’ playoff hopes that Cole gets back on track and pitches as usual in October.
Cole had been pitching well of late until last Saturday when an intentional walk by his nemesis Rafael Devers (with one out and no one on base in the fourth inning of a game in which the Yankees were leading 1-0) resulted in a flop.
Before Friday, Cole had made 15 starts this season, none of which lasted beyond the sixth inning.
Against the A’s, however, he was incredibly efficient, throwing six pitches in the first inning that foreshadowed things to come and allowed him to hit a home run.
Former Mets player JT Ginn (trade for Chris Bassitt) was tough for the Yankees for five innings and only managed one run.
The right-hander allowed only four singles and one walk, struck out four players and made two important double plays.
Cole struck out the first nine batters he faced on just 33 pitches before Lawrence Butler opened the bottom of the fourth inning with a single past Rizzo.
Butler then stole second base, allowing him to take a 1-0 lead with a two-out, two-strike single from Shea Langeliers down the left side.
But the Yankees came right back in the fifth inning and tied the game by rallying with two outs. Rizzo managed a full-count walk and then got to third base on a single by Grisham – a late boost for Soto.
Volpe then delivered his second hit of the night, batting the other way and singled Rizzo to score and tie the game at 1-1.
