Masataka Yoshida vs Gerrit Cole

The Almanac's Take

Yoshida gets the platoon edge as a lefty against Cole's right hand, but his season line is the bigger concern here — a .230/.297/.601 OPS across 148 PA is soft by any read, with a 12.2% strikeout rate that won't spike much against Cole's 8.1 K/9. Cole has been sharp in six starts, posting a 3.62 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and a 3.22 K/BB, and he's leaning heavily on the four-seamer (50% in their prior meetings). The H2H is just 10 PA — three hits, one strikeout — which is barely enough to mention, let alone weight. The platoon edge exists on paper, but the season numbers don't give Yoshida much to stand on.

Career head-to-head

AVG

.300

3-for-10

PA

10

HR

0

K

1

BB

0

Pitches seen

34

Avg exit velo

84.7 mph

Career meetings in the Statcast era (2015–present). Even a clear edge over a handful of plate appearances is a small sample — read it as color, not a projection.

Pitch mix to the batter

Plate-appearance log

• 2024-09-14Single · Knuckle Curve 84.9 mph · 94.2 mph EV
• 2024-09-14Double · Slider 88.9 mph · 87.5 mph EV
• 2024-09-14Field Out · 4-Seam Fastball 94.8 mph · 94.5 mph EV
• 2024-07-06Single · Cutter 90.2 mph · 57.7 mph EV
• 2024-07-06Field Out · 4-Seam Fastball 96.6 mph · 85.6 mph EV
• 2023-08-19Strikeout · 4-Seam Fastball 97.8 mph
• 2023-08-19Field Out · Cutter 93.2 mph · 79.6 mph EV
• 2023-06-09Field Out · 4-Seam Fastball 97.4 mph · 92.2 mph EV
• 2023-06-09Field Out · 4-Seam Fastball 98.4 mph · 86.0 mph EV
• 2023-06-09Field Out · 4-Seam Fastball 93.9 mph · 84.9 mph EV