Yankees make curious Gerrit Cole decision for must-win World Series Game 4

The Yankees ace was not available on three days of rest, neither to start nor out of the bullpen, for an elimination game.

A somewhat curious decision regarding Gerrit Cole — words like “all hands on deck” usually get tossed around ahead of do-or-die games, even if a manager is simply trying to give the opposition one more arm to worry about — was made by the team and manager and not the player, according to Aaron Boone.

Rookie Luis Gil is starting instead on Tuesday, with Cole being handled carefully after an elbow scare cost him the first two and half months of the season.

“I think with what he’s gone through this year to get back and real things he dealt with — missing the first few months — I don’t think him on three days rest serves us well,” Boone said before Tuesday’s Game 4 of the World Series against the Dodgers in The Bronx, with the Yankees trailing 3-0. “We got to win more than today.

“It wasn’t a consideration for me with what he’s had to go through and how well he’s done in working through this the back half of the year.”

For his part, Cole said he would pitch whenever the team wants him to pitch and was not a part of any conversation about pitching Game 4 after pitching Game 1.

Cole has come back on short rest once in his postseason career: Game 5 of the 2020 ALDS, when he pitched Games 1 and 5 against the Rays, the second on three days of rest in which he pitched well (one run in 5 ¹/₃ innings) but in a loss.

This year has not been much like his first 11 big-league seasons.

“It’s been a different year for him than what he’s used to,” Boone acknowledged about a pitcher who avoided surgery but did not debut until June 19 this year because of nerve irritation and edema in his throwing elbow.

Cole was more solid than dominant through 17 regular-season starts in which he finished with a 3.41 ERA and maxed out at 106 pitches. He averaged just 90.2 pitches per outing as the Yankees were cautious with Cole, who missed one turn through the rotation in late July with what was called general body fatigue.

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The extra care has carried over into October, most notably in Game 1 in Los Angeles. Cole threw 88 pitches and had allowed just one run in six-plus innings when Boone pulled him in a game the Yankees lost in the 10th inning. According to Boone, he believed Cole was out of gas after a long at-bat against Teoscar Hernandez to begin the seventh.

When asked how he knew, Boone last week responded: “You just have to take my word for it.”

According to both manager and pitcher, Cole is physically fine and was preparing to start a Game 5 on Wednesday.

“I feel great right now,” Cole said. “I’m available whenever the team wants me to pitch. There’s nothing preventing me from pitching if the team wants me to pitch.”