KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole was eager to emphasize Wednesday evening that his second consecutive outstanding performance since returning from Tommy John surgery represented just that: his second outing back.
“Small sample size,” the former Cy Young winner stated.
However, what an impressive sample it has been.
Following his first major league appearance since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series against the Dodgers, where he surrendered two hits across six shutout innings versus Tampa Bay, the 35-year-old Cole delivered an even more impressive showing against the struggling Kansas City squad. He gave up four hits while recording 10 strikeouts and zero walks, leading the Yankees to a 7-0 triumph — extending their winning streak against the Royals to 14 games.
“I feel like maybe the first game was the appetizer,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone commented, “and that was the main course right there. That was surgical. You saw everything, like, good fastball, both breaking balls going, mixed in the cutter a little bit, made some really good change-ups along the way. There was good defensive plays behind him early and then he kind of cruised.”
Cole (1-0) required just 79 pitches to complete 6 2/3 innings, and likely could have pitched deeper into the contest against Kansas City. However, at this stage of what the Yankees anticipate will be an extended season, there was no justification for taxing Cole’s previously injured right elbow.
Kansas City’s best scoring opportunity against him occurred in the third inning, when Michael Massey connected for a one-out double. Cole recovered to strike out Isaac Collins, bringing Maikel Garcia to bat. Garcia lined a single toward right field, where Aaron Judge handled a difficult bounce cleanly before delivering an accurate throw that retired Massey at home plate to end the inning.
Cole also left Garcia stranded at second base following a two-out double in the sixth inning. Salvador Perez managed a single against him in the seventh.
That represented the extent of Kansas City’s baserunners against him.
“I think it just reminds you of who he is, and how great a consistent pitcher he is,” Boone remarked. “And to see him go through the process the last several months to get back to this, and go out there and execute like he is here to start, it’s fun to watch.”
Cole demonstrated remarkable efficiency, particularly with his 96 mph fastball. He delivered first-pitch strikes to 16 of the 23 batters he encountered, with only a couple of hitters managing to work the count to three balls against him throughout the entire evening.
“I expect to execute pitches. I don’t necessarily expect to not give up any runs, especially on 75 percent strikes. You’re putting a lot of pressure on guys,” Cole explained. “So you have to play good defense, which is what we did tonight.”
Cole faced pressure to perform effectively because the Yankees never provided him with substantial run support. They managed two runs through a single by Paul Goldschmidt, a triple by Ben Rice and Judge’s sacrifice fly, while their remaining offense materialized after Cole’s departure.
The offensive output wasn’t nearly as explosive as the Yankees’ remarkable 15-1 victory Tuesday evening, during which they launched six home runs and collected 24 hits — achieving a franchise first where every New York starter recorded at least two hits.
However, with Cole commanding the mound, they required only a small portion of that offensive production Wednesday evening.
“It’s two games. Small sample size,” Cole noted. “We still have stuff to improve, and just have to keep the same mindset that we have right now, and that’s to take it one outing at a time.”
