Yanks' Cole tosses 6 scoreless after 569-day layof...
Key takeaways
- A 35-year-old right-hander who had surgery in March 2025, Cole allowed two hits and three walks while striking out two.
- A six-time All-Star and the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner, Cole was unusually sharp for a pitcher coming off a long layoff.
- He averaged 96.1 mph with 35 four-seam fastballs, reaching a high of 98.6 mph in the first.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
NEW YORK -- Yankees ace Gerrit Cole pitched six shutout innings in his return from elbow ligament reconstruction that caused a 569-day absence, leaving with a 1-0 lead Friday night before the Tampa Bay Rays rallied to beat New York 4-2.
A 35-year-old right-hander who had surgery in March 2025, Cole allowed two hits and three walks while striking out two. He threw 50 of 72 pitches for strikes, starting 18 of 22 batters with a strike.
A six-time All-Star and the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner, Cole was unusually sharp for a pitcher coming off a long layoff. He needed just 11 pitches in the third and fourth innings and retired 10 in a row during one stretch.