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One year, six months and 23 days.
That’s how long it had been since Gerrit Cole took the mound in a meaningful MLB game.
It was reasonable, then, to anticipate some rust from the 35-year-old Yankees ace as he made his long-awaited return from Tommy John surgery on Friday night in the Bronx.
But manager Aaron Boone made his expectations clear a few hours before the veteran right-hander got to work against the Tampa Bay Rays: Cole wouldn’t be making this start if he wasn’t ready.
“I feel like he’s ready to perform at a high level,” Boone said.
“He hasn’t pitched in a big-league game in a while, so I’m sure there will be things that he gets up to speed and even better at as time goes on. But still, there’s [an] expectation that he can go out and get outs at a high rate.”
Cole did just that, hurling six scoreless innings — and needing only 72 pitches to do so — in the Yankees’ 4-2 loss to the MLB-best Rays.
He struck out two and limited the Rays — one of MLB’s better offenses — to two hits and three walks, using a five-pitch mix to navigate the pesky Tampa lineup.
On a chilly night at Yankee Stadium, Cole’s four-seam fastball averaged 96.1 mph, a rate he maintained throughout his outing. That was right in line with the pre-surgery velocity of 95.9 mph that Cole averaged in 2024.
Cole maxed out at 98.6 mph with a first-inning fastball, and he threw a 98.5-mph offering four innings later.
On his final pitch of the evening, Cole hit 97.8 mph as Yandy Díaz flew out to right field.
His fastball velocity in the sixth inning (96.5 mph) was slightly higher than what he averaged in the first (96.1 mph).
Cole threw 50 of his 72 pitches for strikes — a notable feat because regaining command is often the trickiest hurdle for a pitcher to clear after Tommy John surgery.
That’s not to say Cole’s command was perfect, especially early on. He walked two of the first five batters he faced. Six of his first 12 pitches were out of the strike zone.
But all told, Cole faced 22 batters and threw a first-pitch strike to 18 (81.8%) of them.
Cole did not have his premium swing-and-miss stuff, as the Rays whiffed at only five of the 31 pitches they swung at. It’s worth noting, however, that Tampa Bay boasts a contact-oriented lineup that entered Friday with the fewest strikeouts in the majors.
And Cole managed to pitch to soft contact, surrendering only three batted balls with an exit velocity of at least 95 mph. The Rays’ hitters averaged a modest exit velocity of 86.8 mph against Cole.
Cole leaned on his fastball early, throwing it 60% of the time in his first trip through the order, before ramping up his off-speed usage later on.
In the end, 49% of Cole’s pitches were four-seamers, 18% were sinkers, 14% were sliders, 11% were changeups and 8% were knuckle curves.
Before Friday’s game, pitching coach Matt Blake told the Daily News he would be monitoring Cole’s fastball velocity, pitch shapes and ability to navigate with runners on base after the long lay-off.
Cole was tested almost immediately, as speedy Rays leadoff man Chandler Simpson slashed a soft single on the game’s second pitch. Junior Caminero followed with a six-pitch walk.
But Cole overcame that initial adversity, getting Jonathan Aranda to fly out harmlessly, and then using a slick pick-off move to catch Simpson too far from second base. Cole escaped that jam by striking Díaz out on three pitches, catching him looking with a well-placed 97.2-mph sinker.
Cole started to cruise from there, needing 15 pitches to get through the second inning and only seven to get through the third.
Facing the heart of the Rays’ order for the second time, Cole got through the fourth inning on just four pitches, using an array of off-speed offerings.
Aranda popped out on a first-pitch slider; Díaz flew out against a first-pitch knuckle curve; and Richie Palacios flew out against a low changeup.
And when Cole needed a little extra juice to get out of a two-out, two-on jam in the fifth, he reared back and threw a 98.5-mph fastball to Simpson, who rolled over to second base.
Cole exited in line for the win but settled for a no-decision after the Yankees’ bullpen surrendered four runs in the eighth inning.
Friday marked Cole’s first appearance in a game of consequence since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series. The six-time All-Star and 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2025, costing him all of last season and the start of this one.
Cole made six minor-league rehab starts, pitching to a 4.66 ERA. But in his final tuneup last weekend, Cole placed his greatest emphasis on competing for actual game results. He threw 84 pitches, averaged 97 mph with his fastball and topped out at 99.6 mph.
The Yankees initially planned for Cole to make one more rehab start, but after conversations between Cole, trainers and team brass, everyone decided he was ready to go Friday.
And indeed he was.
“I’m not going to speculate on what could happen or what would happen,” Cole said earlier in the week. “But I feel like I’ve built enough domain, and I’m in a good frame of mind. I’m as prepared as possible to do the best I can, whatever challenges come our way.”
Continue reading...
That’s how long it had been since Gerrit Cole took the mound in a meaningful MLB game.
It was reasonable, then, to anticipate some rust from the 35-year-old Yankees ace as he made his long-awaited return from Tommy John surgery on Friday night in the Bronx.
But manager Aaron Boone made his expectations clear a few hours before the veteran right-hander got to work against the Tampa Bay Rays: Cole wouldn’t be making this start if he wasn’t ready.
“I feel like he’s ready to perform at a high level,” Boone said.
“He hasn’t pitched in a big-league game in a while, so I’m sure there will be things that he gets up to speed and even better at as time goes on. But still, there’s [an] expectation that he can go out and get outs at a high rate.”
Cole did just that, hurling six scoreless innings — and needing only 72 pitches to do so — in the Yankees’ 4-2 loss to the MLB-best Rays.
He struck out two and limited the Rays — one of MLB’s better offenses — to two hits and three walks, using a five-pitch mix to navigate the pesky Tampa lineup.
On a chilly night at Yankee Stadium, Cole’s four-seam fastball averaged 96.1 mph, a rate he maintained throughout his outing. That was right in line with the pre-surgery velocity of 95.9 mph that Cole averaged in 2024.
Cole maxed out at 98.6 mph with a first-inning fastball, and he threw a 98.5-mph offering four innings later.
On his final pitch of the evening, Cole hit 97.8 mph as Yandy Díaz flew out to right field.
His fastball velocity in the sixth inning (96.5 mph) was slightly higher than what he averaged in the first (96.1 mph).
Cole threw 50 of his 72 pitches for strikes — a notable feat because regaining command is often the trickiest hurdle for a pitcher to clear after Tommy John surgery.
That’s not to say Cole’s command was perfect, especially early on. He walked two of the first five batters he faced. Six of his first 12 pitches were out of the strike zone.
But all told, Cole faced 22 batters and threw a first-pitch strike to 18 (81.8%) of them.
Cole did not have his premium swing-and-miss stuff, as the Rays whiffed at only five of the 31 pitches they swung at. It’s worth noting, however, that Tampa Bay boasts a contact-oriented lineup that entered Friday with the fewest strikeouts in the majors.
And Cole managed to pitch to soft contact, surrendering only three batted balls with an exit velocity of at least 95 mph. The Rays’ hitters averaged a modest exit velocity of 86.8 mph against Cole.
Cole leaned on his fastball early, throwing it 60% of the time in his first trip through the order, before ramping up his off-speed usage later on.
In the end, 49% of Cole’s pitches were four-seamers, 18% were sinkers, 14% were sliders, 11% were changeups and 8% were knuckle curves.
Before Friday’s game, pitching coach Matt Blake told the Daily News he would be monitoring Cole’s fastball velocity, pitch shapes and ability to navigate with runners on base after the long lay-off.
Cole was tested almost immediately, as speedy Rays leadoff man Chandler Simpson slashed a soft single on the game’s second pitch. Junior Caminero followed with a six-pitch walk.
But Cole overcame that initial adversity, getting Jonathan Aranda to fly out harmlessly, and then using a slick pick-off move to catch Simpson too far from second base. Cole escaped that jam by striking Díaz out on three pitches, catching him looking with a well-placed 97.2-mph sinker.
Cole started to cruise from there, needing 15 pitches to get through the second inning and only seven to get through the third.
Facing the heart of the Rays’ order for the second time, Cole got through the fourth inning on just four pitches, using an array of off-speed offerings.
Aranda popped out on a first-pitch slider; Díaz flew out against a first-pitch knuckle curve; and Richie Palacios flew out against a low changeup.
And when Cole needed a little extra juice to get out of a two-out, two-on jam in the fifth, he reared back and threw a 98.5-mph fastball to Simpson, who rolled over to second base.
Cole exited in line for the win but settled for a no-decision after the Yankees’ bullpen surrendered four runs in the eighth inning.
Friday marked Cole’s first appearance in a game of consequence since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series. The six-time All-Star and 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2025, costing him all of last season and the start of this one.
Cole made six minor-league rehab starts, pitching to a 4.66 ERA. But in his final tuneup last weekend, Cole placed his greatest emphasis on competing for actual game results. He threw 84 pitches, averaged 97 mph with his fastball and topped out at 99.6 mph.
The Yankees initially planned for Cole to make one more rehab start, but after conversations between Cole, trainers and team brass, everyone decided he was ready to go Friday.
And indeed he was.
“I’m not going to speculate on what could happen or what would happen,” Cole said earlier in the week. “But I feel like I’ve built enough domain, and I’m in a good frame of mind. I’m as prepared as possible to do the best I can, whatever challenges come our way.”
Continue reading...
