On Wednesday, the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals squared off at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida for a Grapefruit League showdown.
St. Louis won by a final of 4-0, with top prospect Jordan Walker leading the way, collecting two hits and continuing to impress this spring.
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole was duly impressed by what he saw from the Cardinals young star and didn’t hesitate to say as much after the game.
Walker caught wind of Cole’s praise for him and had some kind words for the Yankees ace himself.
On Twitter, John Denton of MLB.com revealed what Walker had to say about Cole.
When told of the praise given to him today by #Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, #STLCards prospect Jordan Walker responded: “It means a lot. Helluva pitcher.”
He then stopped and apologized for the cuss word.
It was literally his first mistake of Spring Training.
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) March 8, 2023
Clearly, Cole’s praise meant a lot to Walker as a young player.
Cole has certainly been around the game for quite some time, having made his MLB debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2013 and quickly emerging as an ace.
After a brief stint with the Houston Astros, Cole joined the Yankees and has been an anchor on their staff.
So for Walker to receive such praise from an MLB veteran is quite something.
Cole started Wednesday’s game against the Cards, pitching 3.1 innings and striking out seven batters while only allowing two hits and no runs.
He was ultimately out-dueled by Jake Woodford, however, who gave the Cardinals four scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and a walk while picking up a strikeout.
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