Yankees’ Gerrit Cole shakes off ‘conservative’ talks with ‘good markers’

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Ace Gerrit Cole made a promising return to the mound on Sunday, helping the New York Yankees secure a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in a rain-delayed, 10-inning game at Yankee Stadium. This marked his first start since being sidelined with what was described as “body fatigue.”

The reigning AL Cy Young winner delivered a solid performance, allowing six hits and two earned runs while striking out four over 5 2/3 innings. Gerrit Cole reported feeling good both during and after his outing, noting that he was able to make effective pitches throughout the game and gained momentum as the innings progressed.

“It was a good position to make pitches all day, and then I kind of started to gain some momentum and steam as the game started rolling,” the ace said. “So, you know, those are good markers for that.”

Despite some early challenges, including visible discomfort in his shoulder area and surrendering hits to six of the first 11 batters he faced, Gerrit Cole’s performance improved as the game went on. His breaking pitches became more effective, and he limited the Blue Jays to just two baserunners after the second inning, one of whom reached via hit by pitch.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone, who had indicated before the game that he would likely be conservative with Gerrit Cole’s usage, praised the pitcher’s fastball. Boone observed that while the Blue Jays made solid contact early on, the Yankees ace’s fastball maintained a good profile throughout the game, and he settled in well as the outing progressed.

“I think it starts with his fastball,” the skipper said. “They did a good job. They had some solid contact on his fastball, but I thought all day long he had a good fastball, good profile of it, and I thought he got really settled in as he went.”

This start marked Gerrit Cole’s first appearance since a challenging outing against the Mets on July 24, where he gave up eight hits, two earned runs, and two walks in a 12-3 loss. That performance had visibly frustrated Cole and inflated his ERA to 5.40.

Yankees’ Gerrit Cole proves he is back on track

Gerrit Cole’s return to form and ability to contribute effectively after his brief absence provides an encouraging sign for the Yankees as they navigate the season.

The 2024 season has presented unexpected challenges for Gerrit Cole, who was sidelined during spring training and missed the first two and a half months due to nerve inflammation and edema in his pitching elbow. Concerns naturally arose when the Yankees’ ace was scratched from his scheduled start last week, after only seven outings since his return.

Gerrit Cole explained that he didn’t recover well from his disappointing performance against the Mets, which led to the decision to give Will Warren his Major League debut in Philadelphia instead. The team emphasized that Gerrit Cole’s fatigue was unrelated to his earlier elbow issues, and no additional medical tests were deemed necessary. The pitcher acknowledged feeling somewhat run-down, noting that he was still early in his season compared to other players.

“It’s nothing really specific,’’ he said then. “I’m a bit run down.”

Despite appearing to labor through his 5 2/3 innings on Sunday, Gerrit Cole’s overall performance was commendable. The Blue Jays managed to score in the second inning, initiated by Alejandro Kirk’s double to the warning track. Addison Barger followed with another double to drive in Kirk, while subsequent singles from Davis Schneider and Luis De Los Santos set the stage for Ernie Clement’s RBI single, putting Toronto up 2-0.

Gerrit Cole finished strong, inducing a fly out from Spencer Horwitz and striking out Daulton Varsho looking before being replaced by Luke Weaver in the sixth inning. His final pitch count stood at 91, with 60 strikes, demonstrating improved command as the game progressed. This outing served as an encouraging sign for Cole and the Yankees, suggesting that the brief rest may have been beneficial in addressing his fatigue concerns.

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