Gerrit Cole is the unofficial ace of this Yankee team. He has been since signing with the Bombers prior to the 2020 season. And although he seems to have found his groove, he is not the star of the pitching staff. Watching guys like Michael King and Nestor Cortes makes me feel like that Yankees have found themselves the gritty pitchers who can carry this team. Pitching in the Bronx is stellar this year but it is not because of Gerrit Cole.
"The Yankees’ offense has rightfully grabbed much of the spotlight during the seven-game winning streak they brought into Saturday’s game against the Royals, but they haven’t done it alone," wrote Dan Martin of the New York Post on Saturday evening. And he is right. The positive spotlight on the Yankees offense is completely warranted. It is about time actually. But I can't help but get giddy about Cortez and King. Their work flies under the radar for the most part, and maybe that is good because it enables them to just focus on their work, without the additional the contract stress that follows Cole.
“He’s competitive,’’ Boone said. “I love the way he competes. You can tell he really likes playing the game. There’s a fearlessness to the way he plays the game [and] a joy to the way he plays the game. He wants the ball,” said the Yankee Skipper.
Michael King has been the other king of the pitching staff. He comes out there confidently and executes. No stress. No nonsense. Just baseball. And good baseball at that.
His coach from Boston College, Mike Gambino, is not surprised at King's performance. “I always thought he would be a big league starter,” Gambino said, “and pitch in the big leagues for a long time. But nothing phases him. Ever. People used to mistake his smile and baby face and how nice he is for not being tough and competitive. But on the mound, he’s a killer. No one prepares like he does, and he loves pressure. So what he’s doing so far doesn’t surprise me at all,” reported Mike Lupica for MLB.com.
King entered Saturday night's game against the Royals with a 2-0 record and 20 strikeouts in his 13 innings. Lupica called the Yankee bullpen "the band" and King was just supposed to be a member of this band. "The Yankees' big band in the bullpen features the likes of Aroldis Chapman, Clay Holmes, Chad Green, Jonathan Loáisiga, Miguel Castro and Clarke Schmidt. King, so far, has been the best of them all."
Excited to continue to watch Cortez and King pitch like superstars this season. They have been nothing short of impressive and they take my mind off Cole who has not shown me his true worth since coming to the Yankees two years ago. Pitching in the Bronx is turning heads; and it is band members King and Cortez leading the way and enabling the Yankees to keep climbing the charts!
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--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof
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