Tyrone Taylor is known for his defensive prowess.
But against Gerrit Cole, the outfielder’s bat came back to life and he did so again in a 12-3 win over the Yankees to clinch the Subway Series.
Taylor went 3-for-6 against the Yankees right-hander on Wednesday, hitting a home run and a double, including a home run with two outs in the third inning off Cole.
Taylor followed that up with a leadoff single to left field in the fifth inning and a run-scoring base hit to right field over the head of a leaping Gleyber Torres to eject Cole in the sixth.
It was Taylor’s third three-hit night of the season.
When asked what the best thing about the night was, Taylor replied, “Winning.”
Taylor was productive even when he wasn’t getting a hit. He scored a run in the eighth inning on a grounder to third base, but Yankees third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera made an error throwing to home plate, allowing Jeff McNeil to score from third base.
But it was his performance against Cole that really stood out.
“I was just focused on getting ready for the fastball,” said Taylor, who hit a 2-2 four-seam fastball for his sixth home run of the season. “I’m grateful I got a good hit off him.”
He said he was able to use this success to get an idea of how Cole would approach him in his next at-bat.
“He’s very smart,” Taylor said. “I try to think like him.”
Taylor showed his glove was still in good working order when he made a diving catch in left-center field of a hit by leadoff batter Alex Verdugo in the bottom of the sixth inning, and then ran from right-center field to catch a ball hit by Trent Grisham in the bottom of the ninth.
“He’s a good player,” Carlos Mendoza said, “and not only is he finally making progress offensively, but he’s also playing great in center field.”
Taylor’s dominance in the Bronx doesn’t just come when Cole is on the mound.
As of Wednesday, he had nine hits and three home runs in 25 at-bats against the Yankees, and his 1.167 OPS against them was the best against any team he has played with at least 25 at-bats.
Opponent aside, Wednesday’s outburst came out of nowhere for Taylor.
In his seven games so far, he has only two hits in 16 at-bats and 10 strikeouts.
