New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, by his standards, is having a poor season. The Yankees ace has been subject to ridicule by fans and neutrals alike for his underwhelming performances, especially as of late.
Cole didn't escape criticism from The Athletic's deputy managing editor Marc Carig with a witty, albeit scathing tweet.

"Gerrit Cole apparently also chasing 61 homers for the season." - @ Mark Carig
The tweet perhaps stemmed from Cole's poor showing and ejection in the game against the Boston Red Sox. The 32-year-old was once again lit up by the Red Sox as the team has always been the bane of the pitcher's existence.
By the end of the sixth inning, Cole was tossed after arguing with home plate umpire Brian Knight. He finished the game with four runs given up on five base hits and eight strikeouts. This might not look like a cause for concern on a micro scale, but looking at Cole's September starts, it's telling a whole different story.
In four starts this month, Cole won two but recorded an ERA of 4.94. His best showing was their September 7 clash against the Minnesota Twins, wherein he struck out 14 and gave up just one run.
The 2021 American League wins leader and All-MLB First Teamer hasn't recorded a spotless start since August 9th against the Mariners in Seattle.
Gerrit Cole's season by comparison
Gerrit Cole owns a 12-7 record through 31 starts and 188.1 innings pitched. He has maintained a high strikeout count of 244 this year and a 32.6 strikeout percentage.
However, observing the ace's current ERA, it has been his worst since the 2017 campaign when he played his last year with the Pittsburgh Pirates. During that year, Cole posted a 4.26 ERA and ended the season with a 12-12 record.
Thankfully, the Yankees found another ace this year in the form of Nestor Cortes Jr. The crowd-favorite lefty has been dealing for the team this year with a 2.67 ERA and a 10-4 record that garnered him an All-Star appearance.
With the playoffs fast approaching, New York Yankees fans will surely hope that Cole is back up to his wits. The memory of his last playoff start is still vivid, after all.
In the 2021 American League Wild Card game against the Red Sox, Cole was pulled after just two innings after surrendering three early runs. The runs were ultimately a contributing factor to the team's 6-2 defeat in the playoff decider.