The Yankees sent starting pitcher Gerrit Cole to the mound on Sunday afternoon in the Bronx. Their hope was for a split of a four-game set with the Minnesota Twins before a day off on Monday. Cole delivered in dominant fashion — both on the mound and in the dugout.
The right-hander stymied Twins hitters by tossing a complete-game shutout with 10 strikeouts while allowing just one walk and two hits. This has just been the continuation of an incredible start to 2023 for him. Cole is now 4-0 with a 0.95 ERA and 0.74 WHIP to go along with a 32.0% strikeout rate and 8.0% walk rate.
Before going out to finish the job, Cole had one thing to do in the bottom of the eighth inning. Demolish a banana to give him that final boost.
Gerrit Cole INHALES bananas (nothing new) pic.twitter.com/Abmfuo0tjg
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) April 16, 2023
If you blinked — like the camera did — you didn’t even see that thing before he devoured it. Of course, the fine people at Talkin’ Yanks reminded us that this isn’t new information. Why is that? Well, we caught him doing the same thing during one of his starts against the Baltimore Orioles last July:
Gerrit Cole fucking annihilated a banana pic.twitter.com/9mHwQNbOH9
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) July 24, 2022
Also, kudos on peeling it from the bottom. I like peeling bananas from the top, but that may make me weird. If it does, then oh well. Everyone has their in-game rituals to keep themselves in the zone, as well as keep their bodies in peak condition to perform.
It’s not shocking that Cole’s choice for an in-game snack is a banana, though. Former Blue Jays infielder Munenori Kawasaki can appreciate that:
Between the banana demolition and glorious hot mic moments from earlier this month, Gerrit Cole is just on fire right now.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
