AT LEAST GERRIT COLE HAD SOME STONES...

If you want to roast Gerrit Cole for what happened last night, go ahead. I'm not joining the pile-on.

Yes, Cole lost the game. After six dominant, scoreless innings, eight strikeouts, and 90 pitches in just his 10th start back from Tommy John surgery, he issued a leadoff walk to Mookie Betts in the seventh. Aaron Boone made the slow walk to the mound while Brent Headrick got loose in the bullpen. Boone asked his ace if he had one more hitter in him.

Cole didn't hesitate.

Absolutely. Two pitches later, he was ahead 0-2 on Max Muncy. Then came the mistake. A hanging slider. Muncy didn't miss it, launching a two-run homer that turned a 1-0 Yankees lead into a loss.

Afterward, Boone said he probably should have taken the ball from Cole. Maybe he's right.

But here's the thing.

Historically, when Aaron Boone decides it's time to play bullpen chess, it usually ends with Yankee fans wondering why they even bothered watching the game. Managing pitchers has never been Boone's strength. So, while it's easy to second-guess the decision because it backfired, I'm not going to criticize a manager for trusting the one guy on his roster who actually demanded the baseball.

Sometimes, just sometimes, you've got to trust the horse that wants to keep running.

Especially now.

The Yankees are only 2.5 games out of first place, but don't let that fool you. They've been playing mediocre baseball, and the schedule isn't about to get any friendlier. This is the stretch where you need Gerrit Cole taking the ball. If there is one player on this roster, I'm willing to ride or die with, it's the guy who refuses to come out of the game.

Give me that mentality every single time. Truthfully, that's exactly what this team has been missing.

I've said it over and over again: the Yankees don't have enough edge. They don't have enough accountability. They don't have enough players willing to put everything on the line.

David Wells recently said something that should be plastered on the wall inside the clubhouse. If a player isn't performing, send him down. Triple-A. Double-A. Wherever. Let him sit. Let him understand that poor play doesn't automatically earn another week in the lineup.

Imagine that. Competition. Accountability. Consequences.

Instead, the Yankees coddle players. They protect them. They keep handing out opportunities like participation trophies.

I'm not exactly lining up to join the Jomboy fan club. In my opinion, they've become far too comfortable playing nice with the Yankees' machine. But even they pointed out something impossible to ignore: Anthony Volpe has been given one of the longest leashes we've seen from a struggling everyday player in years. The production hasn't justified the patience, yet the opportunities keep coming.  It's actually the best thing they ever put out.

That's on leadership.

And that's where this organization continues to fail.

So, if you want to crush Cole for giving up one bad pitch, that's your choice.

I'd rather focus on the fact that he stood on that mound and wanted the moment. The Yankees need more guys with that kind of backbone, not fewer. I'd rather watch Gerrit Cole bet on himself than watch Boone overmanage another game into oblivion.

Last night wasn't about one hanging slider.

It was about a competitor refusing to back down.

Frankly, this team could use a lot more of that.

Now the Yankees have a chance to bounce back against the Dodgers today. They'd better, because the road ahead isn't getting any easier.