Houston Astros: Gerrit Cole’s inexperience with Yankees won’t matter

Houston Astros pitcher Gerrit Cole will face the New Yankees for only the second time in his career. Here’s why it won’t have an effect on performance.

The Houston Astros are set to take on the New York Yankees this afternoon in Game 3 of what is turning out to what likely be a memorable series between both teams, regardless of what the eventual outcome will be.

We’ll just have to go along for the ride as it will be an intensive one and watch our beloved team excel through the pinnacles of greatness with each passing moment through the postseason.

Carlos Correa essentially saved the Houston Astros‘ season with his walk-off, late 11th-inning homer to help tie the series at two games apiece while the series transitions to Yankee Stadium for most of this week.

After Thursday, we’ll find out if the Houston Astros will make a return home either to get ready to play in their third World Series in franchise history, or ready to do battle to finish try to finish off the Yankees in Game 6 Saturday or to come home bowing out from what would be hard-fought battle.

It’s hard to fathom the latter of the three scenarios, considering how good this team is and far they’ve come but we can’t rule it out completely because this New York Yankees’ is damn good and the margin for error is razor-thin against guys like these.

But if there’s a guy that knows how to fight hard through razor-thin margins and still excel to his finest, it’s Gerrit Cole.

Cole has been tremendously successful for the Houston Astros in his tenure, particularly this season and he will get the game ball while facing off with Luis Severino later today.

Gerrit has only faced the Yankees twice in his career and batters have hit .234 against him with a .733 OPS along with a 2.80 ERA while allowing six earned runs, 14 strikeouts and a 1.23 WHIP through 13.0 career games pitched.

Up until April 9 this season, Cole had last faced the Yankees in an interleague matchup when he was with the Pittsburgh Pirates back May 18, 2014, which was a doubleheader.  He was able to secure a win while tossing eight strikeouts to three earned runs, as well as two walks in seven hits in 6.0 innings work.

But since this Yankees team is a lot different — you can make a case for since this past April too

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with their injury struggles — from more than five years ago, let’s focus on what he did this season.

Cole struck out six while giving up three earned runs while walking three and allowing four hits.  The Houston Astros’ offense was meager in the early goings, supporting Cole by only two runs but the bats came alive later on that game eventually to help the team win 6-3.

So in all retrospect — Cole is 2-0 in his starts with the Yankees and could he get his third of his career?

I think recent history highly tilts in his favor but it will be one of the most challenging starts that he has had in his career by far.  The stakes are high and he’ll have to come through just as he did against the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 last week.

I’d love to see another double-digit, relentless performance out of him but that may be asking a bit much against this Yankees’ lineup.  All we can really ask for is for a quality start that minimizes harm and still shows that he can be an effective pitcher in the clutch.

I know he can do it and I wish him the best of luck — go Houston Astros!