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KANSAS CITY Mo. – Even ace pitchers with fresh Tommy John scars aren’t supposed to rediscover this type of command, this early after surgery.
So far, Gerrit Cole is an incredible exception.
“Felt like I had a little bit of everything working,’’ Cole said Wednesday night, after striking out 10 Kansas City Royals across 6.2 scoreless innings at Kauffman Stadium.
“It’s two games, small sample, there’s still stuff to improve,’’ though Cole’s second start of the year did more than send the Yankees to a 7-0 win and a clean 6-0 season series sweep of KC.
They reinforced how dominant their rotation can be – even with Max Fried (elbow) on the shelf, and Cam Schlittler tossing six innings of one-run ball Tuesday and saying it “wasn’t my day.’’
“Makes for a tough series,’’ Aaron Judge said of the Yanks’ staff. “Tough at-bat after tough at-bat.’’
Cole is carrying a zero ERA through his first 12.2 innings of 2026, but he required a big assist from the Yankees’ captain.
“I thought the game really got going with Judge’s play,’’ Cole said of how the third inning ended.
Trying to score from second base on Maikel Garcia’s two-out single to right, Michael Massey (double) was out at the plate on Judge’s throw – on the fly – to catcher Austin Wells.
“I thought that run was going to score for sure,’’ said Cole. “That just kind of elevated our play a little bit and we rolled from there.
“The mood in the dugout was, all right, we’ve got to have a little urgency here and that was a just a big tone-setting play for us.’’
That kept it a scoreless game, and the Yanks rallied for two runs in the top of the fourth.
“All I was thinking about was, ‘Don’t let this guy score,’ ’’ said Judge, who thought about making a diving play on Garica’s sinking liner.
But at the last second, he decided to “just play this one in front me and take it home.’’
Again, Aaron Boone marveled at how measured Judge is in right field.
“He can do it all,’’ said Gold Glove third baseman Ryan McMahon. “I think his defense is super underrated.’’
Cole’s pitch efficiency and execution “was fun to watch,’’ said Boone.
If last Friday’s six shutout innings against the Rays – with three walks and two strikes – was “a little appetizer,’’ then Wednesday at KC “was the main course,’’ said Boone.
“That was surgical command. You saw everything too,’’ Boone said of Cole’s fastball, slider and knucklecurve, with the occasional cutter and effective changeup.
“Super impressive, speaks to how hard he worked during his recovery,’’ Ryan McMahon said of Cole’s superior command, two starts after a 14-month absence.
“The guy loves baseball, man,’’ said McMahon. “You see that when he was coming in before he was back, just how hard he was working.’’
“There’s still stuff to work on in general,’’ said Cole, who felt he “moved the ball around the strike zone well’’ against KC, and wasn’t concerned about his pitch limit.
“If I’m aggressive in the strike zone, it should be plenty,’’ said Cole. “You’ve got to play good defense, which is what we did tonight, starting with Cabby’s line drive catch in left.’’
Leading off the Royals’ first, Maikel Garcia’s 105-mph liner to left was snared on a diving play in left field by Jose Caballero, making his first outfield start of the year.
“That’s not an easy play,’’ said Boone, but “he’s just so good…you trust him’’ anywhere defensively.
Anthony Volpe made his third straight start at shortstop, and “he’s earned his way back into more and more opportunities,’’ Boone said before the game.
Boone added that “both guys have earned the right to play,’’ and he feels he’s operating with two starting shortstops, but Caballero’s defensive versatility allows more flexibility.
Meanwhile, McMahon made his first start in this series (vs. a lefty, Noah Cameron) and wound up delivering another opposite-field homer – a two-run shot in the eighth – off righty reliever Mason Black.
Paul Goldschmidt made his seventh straight start at first base, delivering two hits and a bases-loaded, two-out walk to trigger a three-run eighth, where DH Ben Rice (3 RBI) singled in two runs.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Yankees takeaways, Gerrit Cole's stellar command, Aaron Judge's key play
Continue reading...
So far, Gerrit Cole is an incredible exception.
“Felt like I had a little bit of everything working,’’ Cole said Wednesday night, after striking out 10 Kansas City Royals across 6.2 scoreless innings at Kauffman Stadium.
“It’s two games, small sample, there’s still stuff to improve,’’ though Cole’s second start of the year did more than send the Yankees to a 7-0 win and a clean 6-0 season series sweep of KC.
They reinforced how dominant their rotation can be – even with Max Fried (elbow) on the shelf, and Cam Schlittler tossing six innings of one-run ball Tuesday and saying it “wasn’t my day.’’
“Makes for a tough series,’’ Aaron Judge said of the Yanks’ staff. “Tough at-bat after tough at-bat.’’
Cole is carrying a zero ERA through his first 12.2 innings of 2026, but he required a big assist from the Yankees’ captain.
The Aaron Judge play
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“I thought the game really got going with Judge’s play,’’ Cole said of how the third inning ended.
Trying to score from second base on Maikel Garcia’s two-out single to right, Michael Massey (double) was out at the plate on Judge’s throw – on the fly – to catcher Austin Wells.
“I thought that run was going to score for sure,’’ said Cole. “That just kind of elevated our play a little bit and we rolled from there.
“The mood in the dugout was, all right, we’ve got to have a little urgency here and that was a just a big tone-setting play for us.’’
That kept it a scoreless game, and the Yanks rallied for two runs in the top of the fourth.
“All I was thinking about was, ‘Don’t let this guy score,’ ’’ said Judge, who thought about making a diving play on Garica’s sinking liner.
But at the last second, he decided to “just play this one in front me and take it home.’’
Again, Aaron Boone marveled at how measured Judge is in right field.
“He can do it all,’’ said Gold Glove third baseman Ryan McMahon. “I think his defense is super underrated.’’
Gerrit Cole in command
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Cole’s pitch efficiency and execution “was fun to watch,’’ said Boone.
If last Friday’s six shutout innings against the Rays – with three walks and two strikes – was “a little appetizer,’’ then Wednesday at KC “was the main course,’’ said Boone.
“That was surgical command. You saw everything too,’’ Boone said of Cole’s fastball, slider and knucklecurve, with the occasional cutter and effective changeup.
“Super impressive, speaks to how hard he worked during his recovery,’’ Ryan McMahon said of Cole’s superior command, two starts after a 14-month absence.
“The guy loves baseball, man,’’ said McMahon. “You see that when he was coming in before he was back, just how hard he was working.’’
“There’s still stuff to work on in general,’’ said Cole, who felt he “moved the ball around the strike zone well’’ against KC, and wasn’t concerned about his pitch limit.
“If I’m aggressive in the strike zone, it should be plenty,’’ said Cole. “You’ve got to play good defense, which is what we did tonight, starting with Cabby’s line drive catch in left.’’
Yankees' infield shuffle
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Leading off the Royals’ first, Maikel Garcia’s 105-mph liner to left was snared on a diving play in left field by Jose Caballero, making his first outfield start of the year.
“That’s not an easy play,’’ said Boone, but “he’s just so good…you trust him’’ anywhere defensively.
Anthony Volpe made his third straight start at shortstop, and “he’s earned his way back into more and more opportunities,’’ Boone said before the game.
Boone added that “both guys have earned the right to play,’’ and he feels he’s operating with two starting shortstops, but Caballero’s defensive versatility allows more flexibility.
Meanwhile, McMahon made his first start in this series (vs. a lefty, Noah Cameron) and wound up delivering another opposite-field homer – a two-run shot in the eighth – off righty reliever Mason Black.
Paul Goldschmidt made his seventh straight start at first base, delivering two hits and a bases-loaded, two-out walk to trigger a three-run eighth, where DH Ben Rice (3 RBI) singled in two runs.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Yankees takeaways, Gerrit Cole's stellar command, Aaron Judge's key play
Continue reading...
