On the morning of Oct. 9, as he has done so often since long before he became a star, Randy Arozarena called his mentor. Arozarena’s Rays would meet the Yankees in the winner-take-all Game 5 of the American League Division Series that evening.
“So, Gerrit Cole is on the mound tonight,” said Guillermo Armenta, who has helped Arozarena blossom from a skinny Cuban prospect in borrowed cleats into the breakout star of the postseason.
The line went quiet for an instant. “Who?” came the reply.
Gerrit Cole, Randy. The best pitcher in baseball. The guy off whom you hit a home run and two singles four days ago.