Yankees: Gerrit Cole Comments on Opening Day Jitters and Black Lives Matter

Gerrit Cole can’t wait to start Opening Day for the Yankees.

Years worth of abstract dreaming, and months worth of more tangible visions, are about to become a reality for Yankees ace Gerrit Cole.

In just 24 hours, weather permitting, Cole will step on a major league mound with the interlocking NY on his head, fulfilling the idealized future he always saw for himself as a young fan.

Be honest: if you were in the same scenario, would you be able to sleep through the night?

Cole can barely contain his excitement at this point, which was very evident in his joyous press conference on Wednesday afternoon.

https://twitter.com/Yankees/status/1286040880764329984

Yeah, Cole isn’t sleeping, and we aren’t, either.

The 29-year-old ace is machine-like on the mound, but traditionally opens up and geeks out like a fanboy when it comes time to discuss the Yankees and their mystique.

Cole even turned a discussion of the team’s train trip to D.C. on Wednesday into a part of his magical narrative.

Gerrit Cole says he’s so excited that he’s already having trouble sleeping. He just made an Acela ride from NY to DC sound like a magical experience.
— Marc Carig (@MarcCarig) July 22, 2020

There are plenty of real-world implications to the Yankees’ debut on the national stage tomorrow too, however.

As the Black Lives Matter movement rages with a purpose across the country, the fight for equality will now add another stage to its repertoire. Mimicking the NBA’s efforts to get the message displayed prominently in Orlando’s bubble competition, MLB has stenciled the phrase behind the mound for Wednesday’s showcase game.

Naturally, Cole has no issue with such things.

Gerrit Cole on pitching w/ a BLM stencil on the mound tomorrow night: "It’s freedom of speech. It’s the bill of rights. It’s what the country’s founded on, to express yourself freely. So I think it’s a wonderful thing."
— Brendan Kuty (@BrendanKutyNJ) July 22, 2020

Good man.

Per sources, Curtis Granderson and Andrew McCutchen are also circulating jersey patches that repeat the messaging, and Cole believes the Yankees will discuss their potential amplification on Wednesday.

Cole himself? He’d be open to anything and everything.

When Cole put pen to paper at the end of December, he couldn’t have expected any of the myriad delays to his debut. He likely, however, anticipated cries for social justice growing louder and louder, especially in an election year.

Turns out, Cole’s the perfect man for the various moments that are colliding this summer.

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