Gerrit Cole prepared for the postseason by allowing only one run in nine innings against the Athletics, while Juan Soto came off the bench to hit a key RBI double in the 10th inning, leading the New York Yankees to a 4-2 victory on Friday night.
This game was the first of the last scheduled homestand ever in Oakland.
“That’s the Cy Young,” Soto said. “That was the Cy Young going out there. I never doubted his ability and how great he is. It’s just great to see him doing that.”
Cole (7-5) was impressive after struggling in his last outing against Boston, giving up just two hits and one walk. He struck out seven batters and needed only 99 pitches to get through six innings for the first time since shutting out Toronto in his last start of 2023.
“I think it was a combination of their aggressiveness and executing good pitches early in the counts,” Cole said. “There were some balls that were hit hard, but they were well located. I tried to funnel the balls to our defenders.”
Cole earned the win partly because of a rare pinch-hit from Soto, who was removed from the starting lineup due to a sore left leg after sliding into a wall in Seattle on Thursday.
After a passed ball by Shea Langeliers let the go-ahead run score in the 10th, Soto came through with his big hit against T.J. McFarland (2-4), giving the Yankees a 3-1 lead. Soto now has two hits in 10 at-bats with four RBIs in 13 career pinch-hit appearances.
“It was great — showman-like,” Cole said. “He loves the moment. He loves it.”
Anthony Volpe, who was struggling with a 5-for-44 batting slump, added his second RBI single of the game to finish the three-run 10th inning.
Luke Weaver secured three outs for his third save, helping the Yankees keep their four-game lead over Baltimore in the AL East.
The game was a disappointing start for the Athletics in their final home stretch. They have five home games left this season before leaving Oakland.
They plan to play at least the next three seasons in Sacramento and aim to move to Las Vegas in 2028, where they are working on building a new stadium.
