New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole faced a setback during his second start of the season against the Mets, with his performance not meeting his usual standards, particularly in terms of velocity. Coming off an elbow injury, Cole’s fastball velocity showed a noticeable decline after an initial strong showing in the first inning.
Cole, who hit 98.9 mph and consistently threw in the 96-97 mph range in the first inning, made a conscious decision to throttle back his velocity as the game progressed. “I was very encouraged by the first inning. That was free and easy,” Cole remarked, explaining his strategy. “But there’s a certain point where it’s like my objective is to get deep into the ballgame, and I’m not quite sure I’m ready to just keep sitting 97 to 99.”
However, this adjustment didn’t yield the desired results for the Yankees. Cole struggled to maintain his effectiveness, failing to reach 96 mph on any fastball for the remainder of the game. He attributed this to finding the right balance, likening it to driving a car where too much or too little can affect performance.
The outcome was disappointing for Cole and the Yankees, as he ended up surrendering six earned runs and seven hits over 4.0 innings on 72 pitches. Making matters worse, Cole entered the record books in an undesirable way for the Yankees franchise. He became the first pitcher in team history to allow four home runs and issue four walks without recording a strikeout in a single outing.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone acknowledged Cole’s ongoing adjustment period post-injury, emphasizing the importance of gradually building up his workload. “He’s kind of finding his gauge out there,” Boone commented. “He’s not all the way built up out of spring, and he is coming back from an injury and being down. So the buildup matters.”
Cole himself acknowledged the learning curve in managing his effort level throughout a game, noting the need for refinement. “I’ve never been out there trying to throw my max effort, certainly, for the entirety of a game,” Cole reflected. “So it’s just a little bit of give and take. The reality is that give and take needs to get sharper.”
As Cole continues his journey back to full form, both he and the Yankees are navigating through the challenges of recovery and performance expectations at the highest level of baseball.
