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After seemingly too long, New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole has finally won the first Cy Young Award of his career. The 33-year-old was dominant on a rather pedestrian Yankees squad that missed the postseason altogether. The fact that he was able to compile such an outstanding season in the middle of a disappointing year for the Bronx Bombers makes it even more impressive.
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The New York Yankees failed to reach anywhere near their goal for the 2023 campaign. However, Gerrit Cole was spectacular from start to finish. In an American League-leading 209.0 innings, Cole posted a 15-4 record with 222 strikeouts and an MLB-best 0.981 WHIP (walks + hits per inning pitched).
Over the course of Cole's 11-year MLB career, he has been within the top five in Cy Young voting six times. Now, the six-time All-Star can finally add the elusive Cy Young Award to his potential Hall of Fame resume.
On Wednesday, the MLB officially made the announcement that the starting pitcher from Newport Beach, California, has finally won the award. Although it was not much of a surprise, once it was official, New York Yankees fans took to social media to celebrate their superstar.
Some fans gave Cole simple compliments such as "well deserved," but many fans took it a step further, saying he was one of the only reasons to watch the New York Yankees last season.
Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees will look to right the ship in 2024
After entering the 2023 season with World Series aspirations, the New York Yankees fell well short of their goals. Not only did they not win the title, but they also completely missed the playoffs. Now, the team will look to address what went wrong last season and what changes they can implement before the beginning of the 2024 season.
According to multiple reports, both Gerrit Cole and team captain Aaron Judge will have input on how to fix the New York Yankees. Although this has not always worked out in the past, the fact that the team is giving their stars an opinion may have some optimism as faith in General Manager Brian Cashman may be at an all-time low.
