CC Sabathia might not be the one making the call, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a pretty good idea of what’s coming. Just hours after the Yankees punched their ticket to the American League Division Series by eliminating the Boston Red Sox in Game 2 of their wild-card series, Sabathia appeared on the Peacock studio show and was reminded by host Ahmed Fareed that Gerrit Cole would be ready to start on Saturday in Tampa Bay. Sabathia didn’t miss a beat. “Yeah, and then Rodón after that,” he said, before adding, “Now they’re set up with two other aces to start the first two games.” It’s the kind of confidence that makes a team dangerous in October, especially when it comes from someone who has actually lived it. Sabathia knows the postseason isn’t just about talent; it’s about timing, and the Yankees seem to have theirs. With Cole and Rodón lined up, the rotation looks exactly the way you’d want it to look when you’re trying to win a pennant. And while Sabathia is careful to point out that the decision isn’t his, his feeling is basically the same as the one running through most Yankees fans’ minds: this team is set up to make some noise.
What makes Sabathia’s take worth listening to is the fact that he’s been exactly where Gerrit Cole is about to be. Sabathia wrapped up a Hall of Fame career in a Yankees uniform, and he knows what it feels like to take the ball in October with the weight of the city on your shoulders. He started 18 postseason games for the Yankees from 2009 through 2019, posting an 8-4 record with a 3.42 ERA in those high-pressure moments. That’s not just a nice resume line; it’s a measure of credibility that a lot of analysts don’t have. When Sabathia talks about pitching in big games, he’s not guessing. He’s remembering the way the stadium shakes, the way the other team’s dugout gets quieter with every inning, the way a single pitch can flip a series. So when he says the Yankees are “set up” with Cole and Rodón, it carries more weight than a simple prediction. It’s more like a veteran’s blueprint for how to handle October. Sabathia knows that rotations win series, and he also knows that having two aces ready to go in the first two games can set the tone for everything that follows. That’s why he didn’t hesitate when the question came up on the Peacock set. He’d seen enough over the past two days to believe the Yankees have the pitching to make a real run.
And let’s be honest: even Sabathia didn’t see this coming. The Yankees’ pitching staff completely dominated the Red Sox in ways that went far beyond just winning the series. The team threw 26 consecutive scoreless innings against Boston dating back to last year, which is the longest such streak the Yankees have ever had in the postseason against a single opponent. That kind of consistency isn’t just about stuff; it’s about game plan, composure, and a little bit of fear. Every time the Red Sox thought they were about to break through, someone made a pitch or a play that slammed the door. The streak finally ended in Game 2, but by then the Yankees had already built enough of a lead to finish off a 9-2 win and send Boston home. The Red Sox, to their credit, kept fighting, but they never really looked comfortable against a Yankees pitching staff that seemed to know exactly what was coming. It wasn’t just one guy doing the job either. The Yankees got contributions from a number of arms, and that depth is another reason Sabathia believes this team is different. You don’t shut down your biggest rival in a playoff atmosphere by accident. You do it with preparation, execution, and a bullpen that gives hitters a completely different look every time through the order.
The most impressive part might be how the Yankees got to this point. Cam Schlittler and Max Fried combined to allow just one run in 12.1 innings across the two wild-card games against the Red Sox. That’s exactly the kind of starting pitching you need in October, and the beauty of it is that both of those guys will be rested enough to start Game 3 on Oct. 7 if Aaron Boone decides to go that route. That gives the Yankees a luxury that most teams would kill for: not just one or two reliable starters, but real options. Boone is going to have some interesting decisions to make, but they’re the kind of decisions you want as a manager. Do you go with a short leash in Game 1? Do you let Cole and Rodón set the tone and then mix and match from there? Do you trust the bullpen to cover innings if a starter gets into trouble? The fact that the Yankees have answers to those questions is a testament to the pitching staff they’ve built and the way they’ve managed the series. Sabathia, for one, seems to think the Yankees are in exactly the right position. It’s not just about having good pitchers; it’s about having the right pitchers ready at the right time, and right now the Yankees seem to have that all figured out.
As for Cole, the stage is set for him to remind everyone why he was brought to New York in the first place. The right-hander went 10-9 with a 3.61 ERA in 22 regular-season starts this year, and that comes after he missed all of 2025 recovering from Tommy John surgery. Getting back on the mound and pitching at that level was already a victory in itself, but Cole has never been satisfied with just being back. He’s driven by championships, and his last taste of October baseball was a painful one. In 2024, Cole made five postseason starts for the Yankees, going 1-0 with a 2.17 ERA and helping lead the team to the World Series for the first time since 2009. That was a big deal, but the way that run ended still stings. His next postseason start will be his first since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series, when the Yankees lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers. You can bet Cole has thought about that moment a thousand times since then. He’s thought about the pitches he threw, the hitters he faced, and the way it felt to walk off the field knowing the season was over. Games like that don’t leave you. They shape you. And for a pitcher like Cole, who has always carried himself with an intense focus, that kind of memory is fuel.
So no one, least of all Sabathia, would be surprised to see Cole take the ball in Game 1. It just makes too much sense. He’s the ace, he’s rested, and he has the kind of playoff experience that can’t be taught. Behind him, Rodón gives the Yankees another dominant starter who can change the complexity of a series in a single game. And beyond that, the Yankees have a bullpen and a bench that are built for October. Sabathia’s comments on the Peacock set were more than just a former player offering an opinion; they were a signal that the Yankees are exactly where they want to be. They’re not sneaking into the postseason or hoping to get lucky. They’re coming in with a plan, and they have the arms to execute it. That’s a dangerous combination, especially this time of year. Baseball is a sport where momentum can swing in an instant, but it’s also a sport where a couple of starting pitchers who are on top of their game can carry a team a long way. The Yankees know that. Sabathia knows that. And after what we’ve seen so far, the rest of the American League might be starting to figure it out, too. For now, all eyes turn to Tampa Bay, where Cole is expected to take the mound and give Yankees fans exactly the kind of performance they’ve been waiting for. For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports.
