In partnership with
What if the best get better?
Cole world
The Yankees just swept the Red Sox in a three-game set, allowing three runs (two earned) total in the three games. Luis Gil went 6.1 scoreless innings in game one, Max Fried went for eight scoreless (with nine Ks) in game two, and last night Cam Schlitter surrendered one earned run in eight innings. The starters gave up just one earned run in 22.1 innings, and the Yankee rotation is ranked first in MLB in ERA (2.59), first in batting average against, and first in OPS against.
More on the way: None of those numbers include Gerrit Cole or Carlos Rodón, who have both been working their way back from injury. Cole made his second minor league rehab start this week — 52 pitches, 42 of them strikes, four strikeouts in High-A Hudson Valley. His stuff looked clean. The Yankees are being cautious with a guy returning from Tommy John surgery, but the trajectory points toward a late May or early June return. Rodón, working back from an elbow cleanout surgery, is ahead of Cole on the return timeline, which means both could arrive within weeks of each other.
The full-strength Yanks: When you put arms like Cole and Rodón into a rotation that is already leading the league, the biggest question is who gets the fifth spot after Cole, Rodón, Fried, and Schlitter. Anthony Volpe is also on a rehab assignment and could rejoin the lineup soon. The Yanks have patched together the left side of the infield with Rosario, McMahon, and Caballero. It’s assumed that Volpe will regain his starting shortstop role (despite the fact that Caballero has posted a better OPS+ in each of his three years in the league than Volpe has in his three years). The Yanks already have the best record in the AL, and they’re not far off the best record in the league. What does the full-strength version of this team look like?
Will the Yankee starters end the season with the lowest group ERA?
Rawlings unveils a one-of-a-kind book
Rawlings has just released The Finest in the Field®: A History of Baseball Through 50 Iconic Gloves authored by award-winning writer and filmmaker Ed Wheatley, with a foreword by Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench. Published by Rizzoli, this oversized hardcover book brings baseball history to life through fifty gloves drawn from Rawlings’ unmatched product portfolio and worn by some of the most influential MLB players to ever play the game.
Gloves are the focal point of this richly illustrated collection of stories that highlights iconic moments, famous plays and the defensive greats that have defined America’s pastime. Each glove is presented through detailed photography and paired with immersive essays that place the artifact within its historical context. Captivating imagery, period advertisements, and additional memorabilia further illuminate the era each glove represents.
“An athlete’s glove is perhaps their most important tool to success, as it was for me, on my path to winning 13 Rawlings Gold Glove Awards over the course of my career,” said Ozzie Smith, Hall of Fame shortstop. “To be included in this must-read chronicle of glove design and evolution from Rawlings alongside some of my childhood heroes and the newest class of defensive greats, is truly an honor. Baseball fans of every generation will truly enjoy this special book from Rawlings.”
Available now at Rawlings.com and at all book retailers.
