Yankees Playoffs: Gerrit Cole-Shane Bieber Game 1 matchup is exactly why NYY signed him

The Yankees backed their way into the No. 5 seed this past week, and now have to face Shane Bieber. Luckily, they have Gerrit Cole.

Say what you will about the 2020 MLB season (and believe us, we’ll say a lot), but after a turbulent 60 games, the roller coaster Yankees have delivered their ace, Gerrit Cole, the exact opportunity he signed up for.

When the Orioles defeated the Blue Jays (miraculously), the Yanks fell to the Marlins (embarrassingly), and the White Sox (L) and Indians (W) switched fates at the buzzer, baseball fans tripped into Cole vs. presumptive American League Cy Young winner Shane Bieber in Game 1 of the 4-5 Wild Card series on Tuesday.

Facing Bieber is a daunting task, especially for a lineup struggling to find its footing on a consistent basis. But if anyone can be reasonably expected to erase Bieber’s sterling efforts, it’s Cole.

It’s games like these, over the course of the next nine years, that can make or break his reputation. No pressure or anything.

Cole shook off a few tough outings to have the type of season an ace expects to deliver: a top-five Cy Young-type campaign, 7-3 record, 2.84 ERA, 94 whiffs in 73 innings pitched.

But Bieber had the type of season Cole had last year. The type of “no one can touch me” season upon which the game’s richest contracts are forged. 8-1, 1.63 ERA, a mind-bending 122 strikeouts in 77.1 innings pitched. 3.3 full WAR from someone who only appears once every five days.

For a struggling lineup, it’s a worst-case scenario. For Cole, it’s a narrative-shifting dream.

Things are different for Gerrit Cole, who we can all agree is built differently than even your average elite pitcher. He was seemingly manufactured in a lab 30 years ago to eventually find the way to the front of the rotation for his beloved Yankees. He’s supposed to keep the team favored in Game 1 of any playoff series they encounter, or, at the very least, counteract what some other team perceives as their foremost advantage.

Being able to run out Cole against the others guys’ firebreather, whether it be Bieber, Snell, or Justin Verlander pre-surgery, was the goal as soon as negotiations started.

The plan all along was to get here, and the Yankees, after wilting and having to be bailed out by the O’s, have finally arrived at their destiny.

Ace vs. Ace. Our guy vs. Yours. Gerrit Cole’s jersey says “New York” now. Let the showcase begin.

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