New York Yankees Ace Gerrit Cole Back To His Old Self In First 2 Stars Following Lengthy Layoff

Gerrit Cole is emphatically asserting he is healthy and the best pitcher on the planet. He has had scoreless outings against the Royals (last night) and the Rays. Many people are asserting that his teammate Cam Schlittler is the American League Cy Young favorite. Cole has said, “Hold my beer.”

Cole has been great in the first two starts of the season since returning from Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow; he had an internal brace procedure as well. He will likely surrender a run in his next start, 7 days from now. However, he is throwing hard and throwing all his pitches. Who do you think will win the Cy Young Award in the American League?

Gerrit Cole Dominates Royals

Cole threw 79 pitches last night. He did not allow a run. He pitched 6.2 innings. He allowed no walks and only four hits. The Royals are hapless, but they do have a couple of dangerous hitters. They were mowed down in a pitch-efficient 79 pitches with 10 strikeouts. Impressively, he used all his pitches, so the hitters did not know what was coming.

In a lot of ways, the second start back from a major injury like Tommy John surgery is even harder. If that is the case, Cole passed the test with flying colors last night. He was impressive and only had two 3-ball counts.

It is not worth going through the start batter by batter, but he showed his stuff by striking out two in each of the first three innings. He left little doubt he was going to have a good night. A key play in the game was when Right Fielder Aaron Judge nailed Michael Massey at home plate with a laser throw to keep Kansas City off the scoreboard in the third.

Gerrit Cole Dominates Rays

Cole started for the first time in 569 days against the Tampa Bay Rays last week. He threw 70 pitches in that game and was again scoreless, but in this game, the Yankees blew it. Despite the loss for the team, he was impressive. He only struck two and walked three, but he allowed only two hits.

Most importantly, he answered questions about his health. He threw pitches in the upper 90s and looked impressive. The team surrendered four runs after he left the game to lose it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Cole has been very impressive in the first two starts of the season after he missed 569 days following significant elbow surgery. The Yankees are taking it slow with him. He will start another game in seven days against the Cleveland Guardians. It is fair to wonder if the team will start him at that pace for the rest of the season. If they do, he will make about 20 starts this season, assuming health.

Conclusion

It is fun to think of how good the Yankees’ starting rotation is now that Cole is back and healthy. Now, the Yankees need to get Max Fried back. When they do, assuming no further injuries, they will have three aces in Cole, Fried, and Schlittler. Elmer Rodríguez and Will Warren round out the rotation. Ryan Weathers adds a sixth starting pitcher to the rotation. Clarke Schmidt, who is recovering as well from Tommy John surgery.

This duo could end up bolstering the Yankees’ bullpen. They need help there, though they are currently well-rested and looking good.