PHOENIX — Just in case anyone thought the New York Yankees would simply fade away into the night, their season drifting out to sea with the news that Aaron Judge may be done for the season, the Bronx Bombers delivered a subtle message Friday night that reverberated around the baseball world.
The Yankees, with Gerrit Cole looking more like the 2023 Cy Young winner than the pitcher who looked like he was throwing batting practice earlier this month, smacked around the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-2 Friday, and acted afterwards as if it was simply business as usual.
There was Cole, who had given up seven homers in his last two starts pitching his best game in a month, yielding four hits and two runs in six innings.
There was DH Ben Rice, looking like a top-5
MVP candidate by hitting his 39th home run of the season − just as Yankees manager Aaron Boone predicted in spring training − to go along with 94 RBI.
There was rookie shortstop George Lombard, hitting a homer and playing flawless defense.
And there were the Yankees, talking as if they plan to be playing deep into October, whether Judge is in uniform or on their bench as a cheerleader. Judge is going on the injured list with a strained calf and the Yankees have no idea whether he’ll return.
“I mean, it’s a tough blow for us to take,’’ Rice said. “Obviously, we were missing him for a long time there (three months), so this one is especially hard to swallow, just being back for a brief period and already gone.
“But we got no choice but to just keep playing hard, keeping doing our thing.’’
Well, that starts on the mound, and with Cole dominating Friday, with Cy Young favorite Cam Schlittler scheduled Saturday, and Max Fried and Carlos Rodon pitching well, there may not be a more formidable starting rotation in the postseason.
Cole, 9-9 with a 3.63 ERA in his first season back from Tommy John surgery, certainly knows there’s room for improvement. But after being belted around with a 7.15 ERA his past two starts, giving up seven homers and 15 hits in 11.1 innings, this was a massive improvement.
“I thought he was really good,’’ Boone said. “You know he grinded pretty hard. Between the last start and this one, there are subtle adjustments you make that a lot of people probably over-reacted to.
“The reality is he’s having an outstanding season. He’s throwing the ball really well, and a great pitcher like him is going to be able to make some adjustments.’’
Cole, who missed the entire 2025 season and the first 51 games this year, says he modified his mechanics to remake his delivery. Why, except for missing his location on a low fastball to Corbin Carroll in the second inning, resulting in a two-run homer, he was on-point with virtually all of his other pitches. He threw 90 pitches − 62 for strikes − without walking a batter.
“I mean, I don’t think we did a perfect job tonight,’’ Cole said. “I think we moved the needle in the right direction. I think there’s some meat on the bone there. It’s not easy, but it’s necessary. It’s the big leagues.’’
Yep, just like no one is going to feel sorry for the Yankees with the loss of Judge. Not the Tampa Bay Rays, who are still in first place with a four-game lead. Not the Boston Red Sox, who the Yankees likely will face in the first round. Not a soul outside the Yankees organization.
“We have a lot of confidence in here,’’ Cole said. “I mean, for the most part of the summer, we’ve been tested really, really hard, and responded − by and large − really well.
“We have a lot of perfectionists in here. We’re always trying to be perfect, and always striving to be the best. But the reality is we’ve had a lot of obstacles that we’ve had to overcome, and we’ve played really well. So we’re looking forward to more challenges to come.’’
Yes, with or without Judge. The Yankees went 46-39 when he was out 100 days with a rib fracture, and they believe they’re built for October. They know they have four top-quality starters and a deep bullpen that can dominate anyone.
“That’s probably our biggest strength,’’ Boone said. “Whoever we hand the ball to every day, we know is going to give us an opportunity to win a game.’’
They proved that this night, with Judge merely watching from the bench, knowing he may have played his final game of the season.
“We’re obviously bummed for Aaron, and Aaron’s probably bummed too,’’ Cole said, “but we’ve been in this position before this year. Unfortunately, it’s our reality at this point.’’
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No Aaron Judge, no problem? Yankees show they're still a force to be reckoned with
