The Orioles didn’t seem to enjoy themselves facing Gerrit Cole on Tuesday night, striking out 13 times while drawing no walks through seven shutout innings in a 7-2 loss.
Aaron Boone can empathize.
Boone talked with reporters over Zoom following Tuesday night’s win and remembered when he stepped in the box to face Cole last season, getting a firsthand look at the new Yankee ace before anyone else.
“I did face him last year in quarantine, when he was throwing,” Boone said. “He threw live here one day and PJ [Pilittere] and I took some live at-bats actually.”
Both Cole and Boone live in Greenwich, Connecticut, and Boone said last year he went over to Cole's house to play catch during quarantine, and the two took the short trip to Yankee Stadium to face each other in the Bronx to keep Cole sharp before making his pinstriped debut once the season finally began.
Asked if Boone got a hit off Cole, the answer was hardly surprising.
“No, are you kidding me?” Boone said. “I was 47 at the time and that was Gerrit Cole out there.”
Cole was just coming off a historic 2019 season and had just signed a record-breaking contract with the Yanks, so any contact made was a reason to celebrate for Boone.
“I think I fouled a couple off in him a couple times, so that was kind of like a win,” Boone said.
The Orioles likely felt the same on Tuesday.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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