Yankees: Carlos Rodon, Gerrit Cole now ace tandem in Bronx

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole recalled the first time he met Carlos Rodon a “handful of years ago” while working out. For Cole, what stood out for him right off the bat was the raw strength and the intensity Rodon had.

“I think everyone’s kind of gotten to see that a little bit more as he’s continued to take the mound over and over again,” Cole told reporters on Thursday. “And progressed and got stronger and settled into his career. Just talking to him a few times since he’s been signed and since we’ve been down here, some of those things I mentioned are still there and I think that he’s in a position to keep getting better. Hopefully, for us, get a lot better and pitch really well for us.”

Soon enough Cole and Rodon will be the Yankees’ 1-2 punch in the starting rotation as the Bombers try to get over the hump and win an elusive 28th World Series title. Between the two, along with Luis Severino and Nestor Cortes, the Yankees are expected to have a formidable starting rotation going into the 2023 season.

Rodon is coming off a year where he had a 2.88 ERA and a career-best 237 strikeouts in 31 starts for the Giants. It earned him a six-year, $162 million contract with the Yankees this offseason and he is already looking forward to showing Yankees fans why he was worth the investment.

“The biggest thing for me coming over and being a New York Yankee was just the track record,” Rodon said. “There’s always a chance to be the last one standing. I’ve never really had that shot. I’ve been on a couple of winning teams, but I’m excited to see what it’s like to pitch in an ALCS or eventually pitch in a World Series.”

Added to that is the chance to get to pitch with Cole and call him a teammate.

“I think I’ve watched Gerrit for a while, a lot of us have,” Rodon said. “We know how good he is. I think it’s gonna be a fun competition between him and I.”

The Yankees are coming off a season where they were unceremoniously swept out of the ALCS by the Houston Astros, who would go on to win the World Series. The taste of that loss still seemed fresh in the minds of the Yankees.

Cole described it as “getting waxed.”

“Any time you get waxed, it doesn’t feel good – whether you’re going to the salon or you’re on a baseball field,” Cole said. “