Yankees: Gerrit Cole leaving start with possible injury piles onto NYY’s recent woes

ANAHEIM, CA - AUGUST 31: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees looks on during batting practice before the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on August 31, 2021 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
ANAHEIM, CA - AUGUST 31: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees looks on during batting practice before the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on August 31, 2021 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)

UPDATE: Cole left the game with hamstring tightness

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When the New York Yankees tied Tuesday night’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays at 1-1, fans couldn’t even enjoy that moment for five minutes.

In the very next inning, DJ LeMahieu had a grounder eat him up that would’ve been a double-play ball, and the Jays capitalized with two sac flies to make it 3-1.

Thought that was bad?

Silly you! Gerrit Cole left the game not long after with an apparent injury after signaling to the dugout. He was accompanied by an athletic trainer and it appears he was dealing with a hand issue.

At this juncture, the Yankees could realistically afford ANY other injury because of how important Cole has been the entire year and will be in the final month of the season and playoffs (should the team make it that far).

The “good” news is that it didn’t look concerning, but he still left the game and we don’t have an update, so there will be plenty of panicking until we get a definitive answer from the team.

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole has left the game with an apparent injury.

However, what is concerning is that Cole was getting hit hard by Toronto before his departure. He allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks in just 3.2 innings of work … though LeMahieu’s “misplay” worsened his numbers. If that were the case, it’d be 1-1 instead of 3-1.

Then again, Cole was pumping 100 MPH and blowing hitters away. And the Blue Jays are on a roll right now. So maybe this is a bothersome hand issue that the righty didn’t want to aggravate, especially with how this one was beginning to spiral.

The Yankees really needed Cole to stop the bleeding after three straight losses, two of which came against the lowly Orioles. New York has lost seven of their last nine after winning 13 straight, and Cole’s 15-strikeout performance against the Angels was one of those two victories. He managed to stop a three-game slide his last time out on the bump.

An extended absence from the Bombers’ ace would really put their playoff hopes in serious jeopardy. Stay tuned for updates, as this could potentially derail New York’s 2021 campaign with less than a month to go.