Gerrit Cole

The Twins are back in Yankee Stadium, and the matchup carries the same uneasy feeling it always seems to bring. Gerrit Cole is on the mound again, and Minnesota has already learned this year that even a strong start against him can still end in a loss. Back in 2022 at Target Field, the first three Twins hitters all homered against Cole — Luis Arráez, Byron Buxton, and Carlos Correa — and the team still lost 10-7. That history gives this game a familiar edge, especially with Cole making his eighth start since returning from Tommy John surgery last year. Cole’s Arsenal Still Sets the Tone Cole has been uneven so far this season, but his pitch mix remains what opponents expect. He works with a fastball in the 96 mph range, along with a slider, curve, changeup, and sinker. When he is healthy, the fastball-slider combination is still his best weapon. That makes him a difficult matchup for a Minnesota lineup that has spent years running into bad luck against New York in this ballpark. Pitcher Recent Context Key Pitch Notes Gerrit Cole Eighth start since Tommy John surgery last year 96-ish fastball, slider, curve, change, sinker Twins Lost 10-7 after three straight homers off Cole in 2022 Still searching for a better result at Yankee Stadium Why This Matchup Keeps Coming Back The Yankees' own framing of the rivalry has also become a talking point. Earlier this year, a Pinstripe Alley “Rival Roundup” post mentioned the Twins, prompting a pointed reaction about whether Minnesota really fits that label. The larger point, though, is that the teams keep meeting in a setting where the Twins have often looked like the visiting side in a haunted house. The ballpark, the opponent, and Cole’s presence all combine to make this feel like a game Minnesota has to survive rather than simply play. Dave Winfield Adds Another Layer to the History The Yankees-Twins storyline also reaches into franchise history through Dave Winfield. In May, a new statue of Winfield was unveiled at Toni Stone Field in St. Paul, near the neighborhood where he grew up. Winfield later spoke with Charles Hallman of the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, where he discussed being drafted by four pro teams, including the Utah Stars, Atlanta Hawks, Vikings, and Padres. He also spoke about the role his mother and grandmother played in raising him. Winfield’s career took him from pitching to hitting with the Padres, then to yearly All-Star selections from 1977 through 1988. He later won a World Series with Toronto in 1992, after spending most of his career with the Padres and Yankees. His time in New York was shaped by the then-record $23 million contract the Yankees gave him in 1981. Owner George Steinbrenner later claimed he had misunderstood the deal, and their relationship quickly turned sour. A Famous Feud Still Shadows the Story Steinbrenner spent much of Winfield’s Yankees tenure criticizing him publicly and trying to turn fans against him. When that did not work, he moved into uglier territory, including a scheme involving gambler Howard Spira and Winfield’s charitable foundation. Jim McLennan at AZSnakePit has previously recounted how that effort led to jail time for Spira and a ban for Steinbrenner before the punishment was later lifted. The episode remains one of the strangest chapters in Yankees history. Winfield’s New York years also included the infamous seagull incident in Toronto, when a warmup toss killed a bird in 1983. He was taken to jail on animal cruelty charges, and Billy Martin’s response only added to the legend around the moment. Even the Internet Has Started Chewing on the Story That mix of baseball history and absurdity has even become fodder for AI-generated nonsense. Sports writers have recently noticed their work being copied badly by automated systems, and the results can be as strange as any old baseball anecdote. The weirdness fits the mood around this matchup. For the Twins, the real task remains the same as ever: find a way to leave Yankee Stadium with a result that does not feel preordained. Read more at: sports.yahoo.com

Gerrit Cole Faces the Twins Again, and Yankee Stadium Still Feels Like a Trap