Yankees confident heading into Game 5 with Cole on mound

New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole will take the mound for a decisive Game 5. David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Yankees confident heading into Game 5 of ALDS with Gerrit Cole on mound

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 10/9/20

Heading into Game 5 of the American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, the New York Yankees knew they were going to start Gerrit Cole on the mound. The right-hander encouraged manager Aaron Boone to give him the start, and it appears the team is pretty confident he'll be able to pitch lights out.

Luke Voit, who opened the scoring in Game 4 with a solo shot, went so far as to guarantee the Yankees will win Game 5 on Friday.

"We're gonna win it."

- Luke Voit on the feeling in the Yankees' clubhouse heading into Game 5 pic.twitter.com/jVqsNdxBWz
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 9, 2020

While it's no surprise the Yankees are confident in Cole, it's worth taking a look back at his subpar Game 1 performance. The 30-year-old allowed three runs on six hits, however, he also struck out eight batters. What's more notable is that Cole has never made a start on fewer than four days of rest -- Game 1 was on Monday.

Still, the Yankees signed him to be their go-to guy, especially with their current rotation being spread thin. During the regular season, Cole went 7-3 with a 2.84 ERA and 0.959 WHIP with 94 strikeouts. New York will be looking for Cole to return to his regular-season form on Friday ... and he'll certainly have to make that $324 million deal look well worth it.

The Rays plan to counter Cole with Tyler Glasnow, who started Game 2 for Tampa Bay and threw 93 pitches in five innings. Although he's only had just two days of rest, it's something that Glasnow is very used to.

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