Jameson Taillon first went through the discomfort before he found out he had testicular cancer and then surgery to fix the problem.
It was 2017. And what Gerrit Cole found amazing was that every time he put himself in his hand to find out how one of his best friends was doing or to offer him comfort, somehow Taillon would move the conversation to launch. of Cole. To get things done, he noticed that this could help his teammate and friend Pirates.
“From television he gave me his perspective on how it was going,” Cole said by phone Sunday, shortly after it was announced that the Yankees had gotten his Pirates friend for four potential customers. “I was offering his thoughts and being a sounding board as if I were still in the house. Obviously, I check him for cancer purposes and he still follows me to push me and improve me.”
It was part of the reason why when Aaron Boone called a few weeks ago for information on Taillon while the Yankees were chasing the righthander, Cole was able to emerge so easily. After all, the Yanks had done their homework on Taillon’s launches and wanted an inside view if he had the right things to come to New York.
“I told them, if you’re going to bet on someone, if you’re going to battle with someone, that Jameson is the guy you want by your side,” Cole said. “She is OK. It always makes the people around you better. She’s one of the toughest people I’ve ever met. “
Taillon was taken with the second overall selection by the Pirates in 2010, Cole with the first overall selection in 2011. They became fast friends, going through similar expectations and a similar rise. Cole immediately realized the accuracy of the excellence of the fast ball and the Taillon curve like he had never seen before. But it was more than that.
Taillon first needed Tommy John surgery on the minors. He had a hernia. He had testicular cancer. He again needed Tommy John surgery in 2019 and was lost all last season. However, with each physical setback, “he just pulls out of these better than some may even imagine,” Cole said. “It simply came to our notice then. It’s fun to be around when it’s not the easiest thing to do. It always positively influences the culture and other teammates. He is a very special boy ”.
Taillon and Cole pitched together for pirate clubs under .500 in 2016-17. Now, Taillon joins Cole in New York on a team with championship aspirations.
“He’s struggling to get back,” Cole said. “It simply came to our notice then [in New York] to adapt to all things because he is a professional ”.