Showdown Challenge #6: Good King Cole

Good King Cole

Over this now depressingly long offseason, Gerrit Cole signed a $324 million dollar contract, giving him the largest contract ever for a starting pitcher. Long contracts don't always play out, but Cole is among the best of the best and has proven surprisingly durable. Now, as the Coronavirus is the only player causing triple digit heat, Cole and the rest of the league have been sidelined. Luckily for us, Showdown and social distancing work pretty well, especially for one player challenges. So, without further adieu, here is the first challenge of 2020, Good King Cole!

 

Cole may only be able to pitch 6 innings, and that will hurt this card's chances to be among the greatest of all time, but for purposes of the 2019 set, 6 is the new 7. Many fine pitchers also struggled to keep homers off their charts, so this one is looking pretty good. Just how good, however, remains to be seen.

The Challenge

Construct a lineup to face Gerrit Cole at his finest. Cole will go for 9 innings. He will tire, but not because of runs given up. Your job is for Cole to give up as few runs as possible. Yes, you read that right. He's at his best, remember? Like normal, you must stick to the code. They're not guidelines, after all. Oh, one more thing before you get started; you must spend at least 2000 points. Here's the rest of the code:

1. You must select 9 cards from the 2019 set.
2. Your lineup must fill every position, plus any DH as long as said DH complies with the rules of the challenge.
3. For a bit of 2019 Big Leagues fun, put either Mitch Garver or Fernando Tatis into the lineup!
4. You must spend at least 2000 points on your lineup. For extra challenge, try upping the points you spend.
5. You must use expert gameplay rules if you know 'em. Otherwise, stick to what you know.
6. Cole gets the Yankees 2019 defense (outfield +6, infield +6, catcher +5).
7. To be eligible for bragging rights, you must post your lineup, how many runs Cole gave up and when.  Posting your stats is encouraged.
8. To take this further, dig around the 00 and 01 cards, or any other customs on this blog.
9. Expect to get feedback and push back on your lineup. Take it like Carlos Correa taking a curveball he didn't know was coming.