"Whatever it takes" - Gerrit Cole claims New York Yankees are ready to take on divisional teams following impressive win against Tampa Bay Rays

New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole picked up his sixth win of the year after yesterday's 2-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. Cole threw six shutout innings, which was a key factor in the Yanks coming out on top and which extended their current winning streak to five games.

In the sixth inning, Cole got himself into a bases-loaded jam. His infield support turned a clutch 6-4-3 double play to end the inning and to conclude Cole's start. Cole, knowing he needed to get out of this jam, was pumped after the Yankees infield made the play.

"Feed me fired up Gerrit Cole" - Eric Hubbs

When asked postgame about getting fired up after the sixth-inning double play, Cole said, "Whatever it takes." He also mentioned that there will be a lot of competition for the Yankees in the upcoming games, but he's confident they are up for it.

"Gerrit Cole, 98mph Paint." - Rob Friedman

The New York Yankees have been unstoppable to start the year, having a record of 45-16 and being the first team in Major League Baseball to reach 40 wins on the season. Although offensive stars like Aaron Judge have been major factors in New York's success, the Yankees' lockdown rotation is one of the main reasons they have been so good to start the year.

The New York Yankees' pitching staff has a combined earned run average of 2.81 and they hold opposing hitters to just a .215 batting average. The staff has been so good this year that even Gerrit Cole is getting somewhat overlooked compared to other pitchers on the staff.

Gerrit Cole's quietly dominant season

Cole on the mound against the Tampa Bay Rays

So far this season, Gerrit Cole is 6-1 with a 3.33 earned run average and a WHIP of 1.068 through 13 starts. He has also already racked up 91 strikeouts in just 73 innings pitched this season. A year like this is dominant for any team, however, this is just average compared to the other pitchers on the New York Yankees staff.

"Yankees are 44-16 thanks 99% to the pitching. Yankees team ERA is 2.85. The last time (full season) that a team had a better ERA than 2.85 was 1972. 50 years. Best pitching in 50 years." - realBoShek

A 3.33 ERA is relatively low in today's game, yet it is the highest on the Yankees staff, with no other pitcher holding an ERA above 3. To hold a team ERA under 3 is unheard of in recent years with how good offense throughout the league has gotten.

Gerrit Cole is having a great year, and it is currently going unnoticed because of how dominant the New York Yankees staff has been. If they can keep that up, there is no doubt that they will experience success later in the year.