NEW YORK — For nearly three months, the New York Yankees trampled expectations without ace Gerrit Cole. They posted the best record in the majors, while the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner served as an unofficial assistant pitching coach while recovering from an elbow injury.
But the Yankees know that reaching the ultimate goal — winning the franchise's 28th World Series title and first since 2009 — almost certainly requires a healthy Cole on the mound in October.
Cole's season debut Wednesday night in a 7-6, 10-inning loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium was a major checkpoint. And the results were encouraging: more than four innings, two runs on three hits and five strikeouts with one walk. The most important thing is that Cole came out healthy. It was a positive, if abbreviated, step in the right direction.
Here are three things we can learn from Cole's first start in the 2024 season.
1. It's (almost) ready for prime time
Cole made just three rehab outings in preparation for Wednesday. The pitch counts: 45, 57, 68. The Yankees would have been justified if Cole had made one more start in Triple-A to continue growing. But they decided Cole was ready enough to use against their main competition in the American League East. And they were right.
Cole's average fastball velocity was down 1.6 mph from last season, he allowed some hard contact and had trouble putting away some hitters, but he was very sharp under the circumstances. His right-hander threw 62 pitches, 40 for strikes. He induced six strikeouts and 13 called strikes, with full command of his five-pitch arsenal.
“I think the location was good,” Cole said. “And I felt like the pitches were crisp. I think I swung and missed on every offering. Consistency probably also has to progress with pitch count. I threw a couple of clunky sliders, but I hit a great slider in a great spot. “It's encouraging.”
Not surprisingly, it took Cole some time to find his footing. His season started with some heavy contact. Gunnar Henderson opened the game with a 109.1 mph hit that bounced off the glove of second baseman Gleyber Torres and into right field for a double. Two batters later, Ryan O'Hearn hit an 0-2 slider for a two-out, 102.3 mph RBI double.
From there, Cole settled in and retired nine of the next 10 batters he faced. He retired the team in the second inning with just seven pitches. He walked Henderson in the third inning, and saw Henderson steal second base, but he recorded his first three strikeouts of the season and left Henderson stranded. The Orioles fell in order with 16 pitches in the fourth.
“I thought he got better as the game went on,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
The Orioles threw six pitches at least 101.5 mph, but the costly damage was limited to those two doubles in the first inning and Cedric Mullins' single in the fifth. That allowed Cole to average just over 15 pitches per inning, an economical result on a night when he needed to be economical to avoid overloading the bullpen before Thursday's game.
Cole came out to a standing ovation in the fifth, with Mullins on base and the game tied at one. Reliever Ron Marinaccio quickly allowed a two-run homer to Ramón Urías. The Yankees would rally to tie it late in the game, so Cole didn't factor into the decision. It wasn't a classic Cole performance, but that was never on the menu.
“It was nice,” Cole said of his return. “It was a bit of a special game for me. It's been a long few months with a lot of emotions. I wasn't really sure how I was going to feel out there, but locating the ball calms my nerves.” a bit.”
2. I wasn't happy with how it ended
Cole left the game angry at himself for throwing a high fastball to Mullins to start the fifth inning and end his outing. He explained that that was why he seemed so frustrated when he quit the game, not because he wanted to stay in the game any longer.
Cole recalled throwing a fastball to Mullins in their first collision that produced a lineout to center field. He wasn't happy with the placement next time against the veteran center fielder.
“He's ready for it,” Cole said of Mullins. “I've got like 30 at-bats against him. He took a good swing and went up the middle, which probably led to a little bit of cat-and-mouse frustration. Cedric caught me again with a high fastball.”
Mullins is now 9 for 26 with two doubles and a home run in 27 plate appearances against Cole.
3. There is “more” to come… but how much more is a mystery
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Gerrit Cole's son was elated after seeing his father from the stands
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole gestures toward the stands at his son Caden, who is very happy to see his father in the dugout.
Before the game, Boone refused to divulge Cole's pitch count, stating that sharing the information would create a competitive disadvantage. Turns out the number was 65, which is why Boone pulled Cole after just one pitch in the fifth inning.
Boone said he felt Cole was fatigued after the fourth inning, but he wanted Cole to face one more batter. Mullins accelerated with a single on Cole's 62nd pitch.
“I thought I held up well,” Cole said. “I'm tired now. It's certainly a different level. It just requires a higher level of focus and execution. I felt like I could definitely keep making pitches, but I was strategic in my pitch count.”
What about the next departure? Cole, echoing his manager's competitive disadvantage line, declined to share that information other than to say the pitch count will be “more.”
