Penn baseball inspired by Yankees’ Jake Cousins, the first Quaker since 1912 to play in a World Series
After bouncing around several organizations, the 30-year-old Cousins has found a home in the Yankees’ bullpen and has his college program pulling for him.
On the walls of Penn baseball coach John Yurkow’s office hang 14 framed photos of his former players who went on to sign Major League Baseball contracts. During recruiting visits, Yurkow points to them to show young players where Penn’s program can take them.
The next time a recruit comes to campus, Yurkow can show them a Penn alum who pitched in the World Series.
Jake Cousins, who graduated from Penn in 2017 and is third in career wins, has become a crucial part of the New York Yankees’ bullpen. The 30-year-old right-hander was to become the first Penn alum in 112 years to play in a World Series when the Yankees were set to play the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 on Friday.
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The last Quaker to play in the World Series was Stephen Yerkes, a Red Sox infielder who scored the winning run in Game 8 (a game called by darkness forced an extra game in the series) to defeat Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson and the New York Giants in the 1912 series.
“[Cousins] was very, very successful at Penn when he was here,” Yurkow said. “He won a lot of games for us. He was a great competitor, and he played a large role in where we’re at today.”
Cousins posted a 2.37 ERA in 37 games, striking out 53 in 38 innings this season. He struck out four out of the five batters he faced in Game 5 of the ALCS to help the Yankees close out the Guardians with a 5-2 victory on Saturday.
“We’re definitely excited,” said Penn senior pitcher Marshall Mott. “It’s also very inspirational, just knowing that a guy from Penn is in that situation.”
Cousins, whose cousin is Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, was picked in the 20th round of the 2017 draft by the Washington Nationals, but his time with the Nats was plagued by injuries. He was released during spring training in 2019.
Cousins signed with the Schaumburg (Ill.) Boomers of the independent Frontier League, recording a 0.47 ERA over 19⅔ innings — catching the attention of the Milwaukee Brewers, who signed him in July of 2019.
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The Brewers called Cousins up from triple-A Nashville in June of 2021, and he didn’t allow a run in his first 17 appearances. After being placed on waivers by the Brewers in July of 2023, Cousins bounced from the Astros to the White Sox organizations before Chicago traded him to the Yankees for cash considerations in March.
It appears Cousins has finally found a home in New York.
Yurkow credits Cousins’ resilience in the professional ranks to the strong will that he showed with the Quakers.
“The thing about Jake is he’s extremely stubborn,” Yurkow said. “One of the things I found is that stubborn kids are usually the tougher kids. The problem is trying to balance some of that hardheadedness to try to get points through to them. I think that Jake would tell you that early in his career, like a lot of kids, he had to learn some things.”
Yurkow’s wall of former players grew by four frames this offseason with Cole Zaffiro, Eli Tropp, Jackson Appel, and Ryan Dromboski signing professional contracts.
Dromboski, the 2023 Ivy League pitcher of the year, is forgoing his senior year at Penn for training in Clearwater, Fla., after signing as an undrafted free agent with the Phillies.
Dromboski has been following Cousins’ career as he looks to emulate his success in the major leagues.
“I feel me and [Cousins] have a similar one-two combo mix. I’m a slider, fast sinker guy as well,” Dromboski said. “He’s a Penn guy. How could you not root for your own, a former guy who played for your college? Just being able to see his story, and how he’s been able to bounce around from team to team, but finally get to a World Series roster and actually perform.
“He’s doing well, throwing that wicked slider … It’s heartwarming to see all his hard work pay off to make it to a World Series.”