Gerrit Cole’s history against the Red Sox has the Yankees facing a fascinating October decision. Evan Roberts, Tiki Barber and Shaun Morash debate whether Cole should start in a potential best-of-three Wild Card series against Boston, especially with Max Fried and Cam Littler producing far better results in the matchup.
The question quickly becomes bigger than simply choosing three starters. If Cole is part of the rotation, should the Yankees protect him from a possible elimination game by starting him in Game 1? Or should they trust the matchup data and consider leaving him out entirely? With the postseason rotation potentially affecting the Division Series too, every choice comes with a risk.
Sep 16, 2026
