Red Sox: Nathan Eovaldi vs Gerrit Cole battle could determine Cy Young race
By Sean Penney
The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees meet in a battle of aces
There’s a lot on the line at Fenway Park tonight. The Boston Red Sox host the New York Yankees to begin a series that could determine their Wild Card fates. Both clubs will send their aces to the mound for a battle that could sway voters for the AL Cy Young award.
Nathan Eovaldi enters the game leading AL pitchers with 5.5 WAR, per FanGraphs. Gerrit Cole trails slightly with 5.3 WAR. The outcome of tonight’s game could either expand upon Eovaldi’s lead or close the gap.
Not everyone has embraced WAR as an essential way of measuring value, especially when it comes to pitchers. A review of several other metrics still shows a tight race between these to starters.
Earned runs allowed is a primary factor in the minds of most evaluators and Cole has the edge there with a 3.03 ERA compared to Eovaldi’s 3.58 ERA. Eovaldi’s league-leading 2.72 FIP is significantly lower than his ERA though, giving him a slight advantage over Cole’s 2.76 FIP. Boston’s shaky defense hasn’t helped Eovaldi, who has pitched better than his ERA reflects.
Cole is an elite strikeout artist, leading the league with 12.28 K/9. Eovaldi is well behind but he’s still striking out over a batter per inning, ranking seventh among qualified AL starters with a 9.74 K/9. Eovaldi’s walk rate is the best in the league at 1.66 BB/9 and he’s second with a 0.73 HR/9.