MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – JULY 11: ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith during Game Three of the NBA Finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns at Fiserv Forum on July 11, 2021 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
The poor play of Yankees ace Gerrit Cole has ESPN star Stephen A. Smith sounding really angry
We can almost always count on Stephen A. Smith to react when something goes awry with one of his favorite players or teams, especially when a New York-based team has a shameful outing. So when the Yankees’ pulled their starting pitcher Gerrit Cole in the third inning, Smith did not disappoint.
The ESPN star fired off a tweet to express his frustration with Cole’s play and benching:
Smith, like all Yankees fans, has a right to be disappointed and borderline fuming by Cole’s performance in Tuesday’s Wild Card game against the Boston Red Sox. The Yankees ace gave up three runs on two home runs in only two-and-a-half innings and was pulled by manager Aaron Boone with the team down three runs to the Sox.
Yankees: Stephen A. Smith fuming at Gerrit Cole
Cole’s mishap comes as a surprise because most fans don’t expect a pitcher making $324 million over the next nine years for the Yankees to play so poorly, especially in a pivotal lose-and-your-out playoff scenario.
His play was so atrocious that Smith mentioned he missed the late- long-time Yankees owner George Steinbrenner who would frequent visits to the team before games with this intensity to fire them up.
Later on in the game, Yankees third-base coach Phil Nevin urged Aaron Judge to run home after a Giancarlo Stanton’s hit that bounced off the wall. Judge, however, was thrown out at home. Smith was upset at that as well.
Tonight, the team, and most specifically Cole, needed that fire lit under them as they seemed unprepared for this game.