Gerrit Cole’s return to the Yankees’ rotation didn’t go as planned.
Last week, Cole came back after missing the start of the season due to elbow issues. His second game back, a loss against the Mets (box score), was especially tough because he didn’t get a single strikeout for only the second time in his career.
Cole allowed six runs on seven hits and four walks. He gave up four home runs: one each to Brandon Nimmo and Harrison Bader, and two to Mark Vientos. This was the first time since June 2022 that he had given up so many homers in a game. He faced 21 batters but struck out none. Statcast showed his pitches were slower than last year.
The Mets held on despite an Aaron Judge grand slam to win 9-7.
Afterwards, Cole said he was trying to balance command with “intensity,” hinting at why his speed was down. He admitted he didn’t give the team a good chance to win .
Fans React:
Fans might think this is just a rough patch for Cole and hope he’ll bounce back soon.
The last time Cole had no strikeouts in a game was May 20, 2016, when he pitched seven innings for the Pirates against the Rockies. In another rare instance in 2013, he had just one strikeout over nearly six innings against the Dodgers. In all other games of his career (299 appearances), he’s managed at least two strikeouts.
Cole is currently 33 years old and holds the title of reigning American League Cy Young Award winner. In his first start this season against Baltimore Orioles, he gave up two runs on three hits and walked one batter over four innings. Now in his fifth season with the Yankees, Cole entered Tuesday’s game with a solid record: a 3.09 ERA and an impressive strikeout-to-walk ratio over his first 109 starts with them.
What do you think about Cole’s recent performance?
