Gerrit Cole’s weird take on Yankees-Red Sox rivalry will still get fans ready for Opening Day

Hey, at this point, we’ll take anything, and if Gerrit Cole wants to describe the New York Yankees-Boston Red Sox rivalry using a nature metaphor, then so be it.

With the Bombers set to welcome the Sox to Yankee Stadium on Opening Day (seriously, this should feel like a much bigger deal!), the media obviously had questions about the tension that comes with these matchups, especially after Boston knocked New York out of the postseason in 2021 (and, overall, their last three tries).

Though Cole didn’t exactly get the best taste of the action between these clubs the last two seasons — the COVID-shortened 2020 featured a Red Sox tanking year and Cole’s hamstring injury down the stretch in 2021 may not have had him at full strength for the AL Wild Card Game — he certainly has a good idea what it’s about after last year’s fallout and fan reaction.

Enter a renewed 2022 season with the Yankees looking to avenge that embarrassing playoff loss, and it seems Cole understands that this is going to be a relentless battle from the jump.

Whatever anyone seems to think about his commentary when being asked about this series, you have to admit that it’s indeed intense, which will get fans geared up for what’s to come this weekend.

The Yankees and their players typically dish out a lot of weird responses in these kinds of situations, so we just have to take it for what it is. Embrace The Weird.

Gerrit Cole’s commentary on Yankees-Sox rivalry is intense and weird

Can’t deny that the Yanks and Sox were very much “locked up” last season. They finished with the exact same record, with Boston delivering the final blow after getting home field advantage in the ALWC Game thanks to their head-to-head mark in the regular season.

This time, though? Instead of two stags … maybe it’s just one stag (The Yankees) and Johnny Knoxville (The Red Sox) in 2022? One nice, big blow at the start that sends Boston high into the air doing backflips until they hit the ground and forget they even existed. Yeah, more like that.

Another good tidbit from Cole’s media availability was his response to “carrying scars” from years past and how he deals with that. The bad memories don’t go away, but the will to flip the narrative outweighs them.

And man, do the Yankees need Cole to accomplish just that this season. Since joining New York, the right-hander is just 3-3 with a 4.65 ERA in six starts (including the postseason) vs the Red Sox. The Yankees need more from their ace in outings against their most hated rival.

Cole’s ready to lock horn … he just can’t be the one who breaks an antler.

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