The New York Yankees finally saw the season debut of their ace Gerrit Cole on Wednesday as the Yankees took on their division rival Baltimore Orioles in a pivotal matchup in the Bronx and it looked like Cole was already in midseason form.
Cole, who just competed three rehab starts following bout with elbow inflammation that shut him down back in Spring Training, was sharp and showed the kind of command that fans have come to expect from the reigning Cy Young Award winner.
However, despite Cole’s form he was on a pitch count that limited him to 62 pitches and would end up with 5 Ks and 1 walk in the loss to the Orioles that went to extra innings.
“I felt pretty good,” Cole said, according to ESPN’s Jorge Castillo. “Good command for the most part. And made some good pitches when we needed to make some good pitches.”
“I thought he got better as he went,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
“I’m tired now,” Cole said. “Certainly a different level. It just demands a higher level of focus and execution. I definitely felt I could keep making pitches, but it was strategic in the pitch count. And, certainly, in that regard we executed that perfectly.”
