Marcus Stroman reveals key to Yankees’ dominant pitching without Gerrit Cole

No Gerrit Cole, no problem. The New York Yankees are cruising along this year, with their rotation owning a mind-boggling 2.95 ERA so far. That’s third in the big leagues behind only the Boston Red Sox and the Philadelphia Phillies.

Marcus Stroman did his part once again on Monday, limiting the Seattle Mariners to one run across 7.1 innings. After the game, Stro was asked about the keys to success for the Yankees’ staff this season and he explained why chemistry has been huge for them.

Via The NY Daily News:

“We all just genuinely like each other,” said Stroman, who has enthusiastically welcomed Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil back to the dugout after starts just like Cole welcomed him. “We all just genuinely vibe together. It’s not like sometimes on different staffs, you’re kind of forced to be with those people around you.

“I think we all just love each other here throughout the clubhouse. So it’s very easy, the flow of knowledge, the flow of information with how much everyone’s cool with each other. It just feels like a very, very tight-knit group. It feels like home in this clubhouse. I think everybody feels the same way.”

Yankees’ staff is flourishing

By the sounds of it, everyone is feeding off each other. Stroman and others have already explained how Cole has served as a bit of a pitching coach for the Yankees in his absence, which is undoubtedly a huge help. It’s scary to think how much better they will be when he’s back. Cole’s return isn’t too far away.

“Having Cole in our back pocket is incredible,” Stroman said. “Being able to go to him in-game and in between games and talk pitching, talk analytics, talk mechanics, it’s pretty special. I’m very thankful to have him there. Even in between innings, we’re just having small talk on things that help immediately when I go back out into the game. So very thankful for Cole.”

The highest ERA in the rotation is 3.56 and that belongs to Nestor Cortes. Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil sit below 2.50, Stroman has a 3.05 ERA, and Carlos Rodon is at 3.27. Since May 12th, the New York rotation has compiled a 7-0 record and 0.86 ERA.

It’s clear they’re all building off each other and it’s been a treat to watch, even for Aaron Judge:

“It’s been incredible to watch them do their thing,” Aaron Judge said. “I think each one of them is just trying to outdo the other after each start.”

No matter who Aaron Boone sends to the hill, he’s getting a quality start. That is special and hard to find. It will actually be interesting to see how he fits Cole back into the mix. Who will drop out of the rotation? It’s hard to pinpoint any particular pitcher because they’re all throwing the ball well.

Offensively, things are coming together too, with Judge starting to rake. The Yankees are now at the top of the AL East with a 33-16 record and showing no signs of slowing down.

It’s a good time to be a Yankees fan.