ARLINGTON — Gerrit Cole had already logged a strong body of work when he started grabbing his right calf on Monday night.
The Yankees’ ace had begun to warmup for the seventh inning at Globe Life Field, but he left the mound with a trainer by his side before he could throw another official pitch. Fortunately for Cole and the Yankees, cramps were the reason he hit the showers early in Arlington.
He’ll continue to be monitored and reassessed on Tuesday.
More from @RealMichaelKay on Gerrit Cole’s exit Monday in Arlington. pic.twitter.com/nPkMQhEwlq
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) September 3, 2024
Prior to his departure, Cole left the Yankees well-positioned for an 8-4 win over the Rangers.
The right-hander totaled six innings, four hits, one earned run, one walk, nine strikeouts and 82 pitches in one of his stronger starts of his season, which was delayed by elbow inflammation. Cole’s fastball played a huge part in his success, as the pitch induced 10 whiffs.
For comparison, Cole’s heater, looking a little flat, only yielded four whiffs against the Nationals his last time out.
The Rangers’ only run off Cole came on a Josh Smith double in the third inning. Aaron Judge double-clutched on his throw from center on the play, allowing Marcus Semien to score from first.
Texas scored two more runs when Wyatt Langford homered off Luke Weaver, Cole’s last-minute replacement, in the seventh.
Before all that, the Yankees separated themselves with a five-run sixth.
Judge started the scoring that inning with an RBI double. Jazz Chisholm Jr. added an RBI single before Anthony Rizzo sliced a ground-rule double. That gave the Yankees two more runs before Chisholm dashed home on a wild pitch.
Giancarlo Stanton then responded to Langford’s homer with his 25th blast of the season, a solo shot in the eighth. The slugger is now the only active player to have at least 25 homers in 10 different seasons, according to the YES Network’s James Smyth.
Giancarlo Stanton’s 5th homer in 10 games
25th this year, only active player with 10 25+ HR seasons
Judge/Soto/Stanton only trio of teammates with 25+
427th career HR ties Mike Piazza for 51st all-time
160th with Yankees ties Roy White for 28th on the franchise list
— James Smyth (@JamesSmyth621) September 3, 2024
The Yankees scored their first two runs in the third inning when Gleyber Torres doubled. That followed singles from Anthony Volpe and Alex Verdugo. Volpe’s hit came in his first at-bat against former high school teammate Jack Leiter, who was charged with five runs over just as many innings.
The Rangers scored another run on a Jonah Heim groundout in the ninth, but that wasn’t enough to complete a rally.
Having won the opener, the Yankees will try to secure a series victory on Tuesday with Carlos Rodón on the mound. The team has had to play rubber matches in its last nine series; a Tuesday win would snap that streak.
Trying to prolong it will be Andrew Heaney, the Rangers’ scheduled starter and a former Yankee.