Gerrit Cole Developing Into Team Leader, Staff Ace
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The FAN) - Just barely 24-years-old and with only 40 starts in the majors, Gerrit Cole has the look of not only an ace starting pitcher, but a Pirates leader.
Cole is now 9-1 with an ERA under 3.00 in his two seasons pitching in September, when the pressure is the highest. In a playoff-clinching game on Tuesday night, Cole struck out six of the last nine batters he faced.
He said he knew after trailing 2-0 that the Pirates would come back and win.
"I think it's what we're built for," Cole said. "When you think about Pirates baseball, you think about grinding out at-bats, putting together four or five or six quality at-bats in a row. The quality pitching from start to finish, the bullpen is locked down. We don't need to score 25 runs to win a game, all we need is one and have everyone on the same page."
Like the team, Cole struggled early before going on the disabled list with right shoulder soreness in early June, He made a return trip the DL again after a July 4 start, due to a right lat injury.
"You're grinding through some of the low parts of the year, you keeping telling yourself, 'It will make this part of the year more exciting,'" Cole said. "Just a credit to all these guys in the room that kept their head down moving forward."
I don't know if anything typified the type of teammate Cole is than when I was conducting an interview on Tuesday night with Edinson Volquez in the champagne-soaked Pirates clubhouse and Cole made it a point to come over. Upon completion of the interview, Cole had something to scream to the live audience on 93.7 the Fan.
"When I went down, when Charlie (Morton) went down, when Frankie (Liriano) went down, when Jeff (Locke) wasn't here, the only guy we've had all year posting up every single time is Eddie (Volquez)," Cole said. "Nobody should overlook that because this is the only guy who has been a rock in our rotation and we can lean on his (butt) anytime we need to. And that's it, I'm out."
Cole was fired up, not about himself, but about what one of his teammates had done. Cole had earlier described his team's play in a way many might describe him.
"It's gritty, it's hard, it can be frustrating as hell sometimes, but [expletive] it's sweet when you get it."
There are no style points with Cole, it's about finding a way to win. Something he has done in four straight starts.
"You just want to be able to finish strong and put yourself in a good position to pour some champagne and beer all over yourself at the end of the year," he said.
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