2024-04-12 05:18:33
This article is compiled from Cone’s ’98 Yankees were superb. Can ’24 staff follow suit?
Even though they unexpectedly lost to the league’s bottom-placed Miami Marlins at home on Wednesday, US time (April 11th, Taiwan time), the New York Yankees still had great success at the start of the season. There are many reasons for their amazing success. Opening season. Juan Soto has not disappointed since day one in New York; Anthony Volpe looks to be everything everyone expected him to be; Giancarlo Stanton has a slugging hit; Aaron Judge is still warming up, but has a contribution A few long hits. Aaron Boone finally has another balanced line that plays left and right.
But to start the season with a record of 10 wins and 3 losses, even without the new American League Cyrus winner Gerrit Cole, their starting pitchers are actually the most important key. While this is certainly in a small sample size, everyone in the starting rotation outside of Cole can step up. This was key in the past when the Yankees were strong, especially at their strongest.
“The best thing about the performance of the starting pitchers, besides the record, is that it allows Gerrit to not be in a hurry to come back,” David Cone said Wednesday. “The pitching staff now allows him to rest and rest until he is 100 percent before coming back.”
Cone, who is now the voice of wit and humor for ESPN’s Saturday Night Baseball and YES broadcast units, was also a member of the greatest Yankees team of all time – the 1998 Yankees, who won 114 games in the regular season. A total of 125 games were won throughout the year.
Cone posted a record of 20 wins and 7 losses that year; “Duke” Orlando Hernández, who only came to the Yankees in June, contributed 12 wins and 4 losses after joining; Andy Pettitte contributed 16 wins and 11 losses; he pitched a complete game in May of that year. David Wells posted 18 wins and 4 losses; even Hideki Irabu, the fifth starter assigned by Joe Torre, had 13 wins and 9 losses.
We often put too much emphasis on the Yankees’ core four-Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Pettitte, but ignore the starting pitchers who contributed 79 wins and 35 losses that year. The foundation for such outstanding performance.
“Either one of us can be an ace,” Cone continued. “When it’s my turn, I’m an ace, when it’s Duke’s turn, he’s an ace, and that’s what we all do. In fact, in Boomer (Wells) ) pitched a complete game, I decided he was the best pitcher in the league.”
Cone paused, then continued, “One more thing,We don’t have anyone on the disabled list.. In the modern baseball environment, this is almost impossible to happen. “
For the 1998 Yankees, Cone started 31 games, Pettitte 32 games, Wells 30 games, Hideki Irabu 28 games, and Hernandez, who only entered the major leagues in June, also started 21 games. With such a stable rotation, coupled with the Yankees’ talented offensive firepower, it is not surprising that they can produce such a magical season.
“That season we showed that the pitching side – especially the starting pitchers – and the offense support each other,” Cone said. “Having good offensive support, like the Yankees did that season, makes the starting pitchers more confident, believe me. , it feels like the hitter is sending you a message saying, ‘Hey, it doesn’t matter if you lose a few points, hold on, let us help you get out of trouble.’”
No one is comparing today’s Cole-less Yankees rotation to the 1998 rotation. But the performance of the Yankees so far is indeed a bit like that of the past. Only two of their starters allowed four or more runs, including Nestor Cortes in the opener against the Astros, but he held on and waited for his teammates to clear the hole, and the Yankees eventually won.
Cortes has started three games now and has a 3.50 ERA; Marcus Stroman, who lost Wednesday on Jake Burger’s three-pointer, has a 2.12 ERA after three starts; Luis Gil has started two, ERA is 3.00; Clarke Schmidt is at 4.66.
And Carlos Rodón, who was greatly disappointed due to injuries and poor performance last season, not only posted a 1.72 ERA in three starts, but his performance seemed to be back to the time when he was signed for $160 million and expected to become Cole’s second choice. Handle performance.
“(Rodón) is definitely one to watch,” Cone said. “He’s using more pitches this season, including a changeup. Everyone has known for years that his pitching style relies mainly on two pitches – fastball and A slider would be enough. But so far this season, he’s mixed it in with other pitches and added an element that a pitcher needs, which is to make hitters wonder.”
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