"A real mental war with that guy" - Gerrit Cole names Reds legend as his toughest opponent 

On Tuesday, Gerrit Cole named the toughest opponent he has ever pitched to. Despite facing numerous high-quality players throughout his 12 seasons in the majors so far, Cole named Cincinnati Reds legend Joey Votto as the toughest hitter he's faced.

Having made his MLB debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2013, Gerrit Cole has gone on to establish himself as one of the finest pitchers in all of the major leagues. For his career as a whole, he has a 153-80 win/loss record, along with a 3.18 ERA and 2,251 total strikeouts. In terms of honors, Cole has six All-Star selections to his name, along with an AL Cy Young award and three All-MLB first team selections.

Featuring on the "Casa De Klub" podcast, hosted by two-time Cy Young award winner Corey Kluber and former Arizona Wildcat Tyler Casagrande, Cole talked about how it was always a "mental war" whenever Votto walked up to bat against him.

"I got to give Joey Votto a lot of credit, to be honest. A real mental war with that guy, as a rookie, and he had a .1000 OPS. I just never really got a good handle on it [facing Votto], and just ended up having to throw fast balls straight down the middle sometimes," Cole said.

(from 42:50 mark onwards)

Having spent his entire career in Cincinnati, Joey Votto was a fan favorite at Great American Ballpark for all of his 17 years in the majors. The Canadian-born slugger earned himself six All-Star selections, an NL MVP award and a Gold Glove award during his prime years as a Red, before ultimately calling time on his career in 2024.

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New Yankees acquisition Max Fried looks to learn from Gerrit Cole

In a move that significantly bolstered their pitching arsenal, the New York Yankees signed highly sought-after lefty Max Fried this past offseason, offering him an eight-year, $218,000,000 deal.

Shortly after the move was confirmed, Fried talked about how he was looking forward to learning a lot from Cole.

"He [Gerrit Cole] has got a Cy Young, and he consistently seems to be in the conversation for the best pitchers in the world. Year in and year out, he knows exactly what he needs to do to be successful, and he's extremely knowledgeable and talented," Fried said via YES Network.

"So, to be able to just sit and watch him work, observe his routine, and see the way he goes about his preparation and everything—I'm going to do as much as I can to soak up as much as I can. And yeah, I mean, at the end of the day, we're here to win. Anything I can learn from him that I can add to my game, I'm all ears," he added.

Heading into the new season, fans will be hoping Gerrit Cole, Max Fried and the rest of the Yankees' pitching staff can perform at a high level, as the Bronx Bombers look to bounce back from the disappointing way their 2024 season ended.