Are Yankees hiding an injury concern from Dodgers with Game 5 ace?

Unfortunately, Los Angeles Dodgers fans will have to wait at least one more day before they can celebrate the team's eighth World Championship. The New York Yankees pulled a rabbit out of their hat on Tuesday night in the Bronx and won Game 4 of the World Series by a final score of 11-4.

Game 5's pitching matchup will be a rematch of Game 1 with Jack Flaherty on the hill for the Dodgers and Gerrit Cole taking the ball for the Yankees. But is New York's ace full healthy?

Are Yankees hiding an injury concern from Dodgers with Game 5 ace Gerrit Cole?

Interestingly, with the Yankees' season hanging by a thread on Tuesday night, manager Aaron Boone decided to go with Luis Gil as New York's starting pitcher for Game 4. Are we to believe that Gil — a rookie who hadn't pitched since October 18 — was Boone's best option in a win or go home scenario? That seems a little fishy, doesn't it?

Greg Joyce of the New York Post reported earlier this week that Cole was not a consideration to start Game 4. Of course the Yankees' hurler would be going on just three days' rest, but this is the playoffs, right? The Yankees were down 3-0 heading into Game 4; there is no tomorrow if they lose.

FOX Sports' broadcaster and former Yankees' great Derek Jeter even made a comment during a recent broadcast saying, "I hope he's healthy," (referring to Cole) during the network's pregame show. Is there an injury concern that the Yankees are keeping under wraps?

Dodgers-Yankees Game 5 of World Series is a rematch of Game 1 (with healthy Gerrit Cole?)

Cole was pulled from Game 1 after throwing just 88 pitches. While it's understood that New York's frontline starter endured a difficult injury to start the season, Cole was lights out through six-plus. The right-hander struck out four Dodgers batters and allowed just one run on four hits after a 10-day hiatus. When you start to add everything up, it does suggest that the Yankees could be hiding something.

Of course, SNY's Andy Martino broached the subject with a "trusted source" this week who shot the theory down, stating, “No. There’s nothing. He’s fine.” Definitive, or defensive?

This could be much ado about nothing, and there's every reason to believe that Cole could step onto the bump for Game 5 and pitch seven innings of shutout baseball. But New York burned through five relievers on Tuesday night, so Boone would undoubtedly love to get six or more innings from his ace on Wednesday night.

The Yankees may have only delayed the inevitable. New York was finally able to put some runs on the board, but the Yanks have to win three straight whereas LA only needs one more win. No team down 3-0 has ever forced a Game 6 before.

With Flaherty going tonight and Yoshinobu Yamamoto waiting for a game that, again, has never happened in MLB history in the World Series, the Dodgers have to like their chances.

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