In the very early part of the New York Yankees 2023 season, ace pitcher Gerrit Cole has completely dominated opposing teams in his first four starts of the season. It is certainly never too early to name him as the front-runner for the AL Cy Young.
Through four starts, he has won all four games and only allowed three earned runs to come across home plate in 28.1 innings of work. The New York Yankees are the fourth-best team in all of Major League Baseball in strikeouts per nine innings, with 9.95, and Cole is a big reason why with his 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings.
Compared to his first four outings last season, Cole has gotten off to a substantially better start in 2023. Last season, he was rocked a bit in the early going. Through his first four starts of 2022, he allowed three long balls, as well as eight earned runs. He had an ERA of 4.00, which is night-and-day compared to his current ERA of 0.95.
Do the Yankees have the best pitcher in the AL in Gerrit Cole?
It is definitely up for discussion, even this early in the season, that Cole will be the best pitcher in all of the American League. He is already atop most of the AL leaderboards in strikeouts, wins, and earned run average. He is also a big reason why the Yankees have gotten off to a great start this season.
Cole Train on a historic track 🚂@GerritCole45 👏 pic.twitter.com/yaJ6hz6tcF
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 16, 2023
Of course, it is still early, and there plenty more starts to be had. It is a long season, but things are definitely trending in the right direction for the Yankees, and especially for Cole. While setting records and dismantling opposing lineups with ease, expect this season to feature some career highs for Cole. There are no signs of this train slowing down.