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| New York Yankees Gerrit Cole. AP Yonhap News |
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The New York Yankees' goal of 'World Series Revenge' is likely to fail without even starting. With the opening just around the corner, he will lose his ace. Severe disruption to the season's operation has become inevitable. Gerrit Cole (35), who was expected to be the team's first starter, seriously broke his elbow.
Jim Borden, a columnist for The Athletic, a U.S. sports media outlet, cited an internal source on the 10th (Korea time) that Cole was recommended for ligament joint surgery in his right elbow. The Yankees and Cole are waiting for a second finding for a more accurate judgment,' he said.
It's a bolt out of the blue. This is because Cole, who was expected to serve as the team's ace in the 2025 season, not only blew the entire season but was also threatened to maintain his career.
In particular, it is more shocking that it occurred suddenly without any notice or foreshadowing. Cole started in the 2025 Major League exhibition game against the Minnesota Twins on the 7th and was beaten badly. In two ⅔ innings, he threw a total of 54 pitches, allowing five hits, including two homers, and allowing six runs.
Cole's elbow ligament is believed to have been completely damaged in this game. No other abnormal signs were detected when the game was going on. He allowed several home runs and hits and gave up six runs, but it's actually hard to say it's a big problem. The exhibition games are for inspection. Aces can also make a lot of runs.
The restraint was also still powerful. Cole's fastball speed was up to 95.6 miles per hour and an average of 93.9 miles during his first appearance in an exhibition game against Toronto on the 1st. Before Minnesota, he hit a maximum of 97.6 miles and an average of 95.9 miles. The fact that he had better speed in his second appearance is evidence that his elbow ligament has been strong so far.
But it turned out that this was the last force Cole's ligament squeezed. Cole said in a local interview on the 9th, `Everything was fine during the game (against Minnesota) two days ago. But after coming home, the pain got worse. When I woke up the next day, I knew something was wrong. I couldn't even sleep properly. It was shocking."
Due to the sudden occurrence of such an injury, both Cole and the Yankees do not seem to trust the results of the first diagnosis, which was recommended for ligament joint surgery. If he gets on the operating table, he cannot come out not only in the 2025 season but also in the early 2026 season. The Yankees' embarrassment is also somewhat acceptable. Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman "We're preparing for the worst. We have to wait and see how the second round will turn out." It seems that the surgery is accepted as a fact to some extent.
Cole also had pain in his elbow during last year's exhibition game and went through rehabilitation for three months. He made his comeback on June 20 against the Baltimore Orioles. Didn't have a full season. He played in 17 games and played 95 innings with an 8-5 record and a 3.41 ERA.
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| APYonhap News |
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Cole has been the team's ace since signing a nine-year - $324 million (about 471.6 billion won) contract with the Yankees ahead of the 2020 season. He won his first Cy Young Award in 2023 with 15 wins and 4 losses with a 2.63 ERA (1st place) and 222 strikeouts in 33 starts.
Cole's departure has put the Yankees off to a difficult start to the season. In particular, the yellow light will be lit on the goal of avenging the disappointment of failing to win last year's World Series. Last year, the Yankees won the American League and reached the World Series for the first time in 15 years since 2009. However, he knelt down to the Los Angeles Dodgers with one win and four losses.
In order to avenge this regret, the Yankees were preparing for revenge by recruiting Max Fried, Cody Bellinger, and Paul Goldschmidt. However, after missing FA Juan Soto, Ace Cole also left.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Dodgers steadily strengthened their power. Shohei Ohtani has maintained most of his previous winning record, and he will also play as a pitcher. 'Monster'Sasaki Rocky has also been recruited. While the Dodgers are steadily building up the build-up for their second consecutive World Series victory, the Yankees' plan has a serious hole. Attention is focusing on whether the Yankees will be able to overcome this crisis and complete the World Series revenge.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
