Yankees ace Gerrit Cole feels 'pretty solid' after no-decision against Blue Jays

After being scratched from his scheduled start against the Phillies on July 30, Gerrit Cole returned to the mound Sunday afternoon.

The Yankees’ ace was supposed to make his eighth start on Tuesday night against the Phillies but didn’t because of “general body fatigue.” He said before the game that he had not been recovering as quickly as he had hoped.

In Sunday’s walk-off 4-3, 10-inning victory over Toronto, however, Cole threw 91 pitches in 5 2⁄3 innings — 60 for strikes — and allowed six hits and two runs with four strikeouts.

“I felt pretty solid,” he said. “I thought that stuff got better as the game got going, we were particularly better with our pitch selection and I felt pretty good stamina-wise. They cut me a little short, understandably, but that was smart. I made enough good pitches today.”

In 2023, Cole went 15–4 with a 2.63 ERA and 222 strikeouts in 209 innings (33 starts), a performance that earned him a unanimous decision for the Cy Young Award. This season, he is 3-2 with a 5.09 ERA. He has 42 strikeouts and 12 walks in 40 2⁄3 innings.

Aaron Boone said he pulled Cole to minimize unnecessary strain and keep him as healthy as possible. Cole did not pitch this season until June 19 after recovering from elbow inflammation he developed during spring training.

“All day long, he had a good fastball, a good profile of it, and I thought he got really settled in as he went,” Boone said. “They squared some balls up there in his first couple innings but he was able to only give up two. I thought he had a good presence .  .  . It was good to see the life on his fastball. I think he got a little bit tired at the end, but I wasn’t going to go more than 90 — maybe 95 — pitches anyway.”

Cole’s arm certainly benefited from the additional rest since his last start against the Mets on July 24, when he allowed six runs and eight hits in 5 2⁄3 innings in the Yankees’ 12–3 loss. He said his efficient recovery comes from trusting the coaching staff’s decisions.

“I was in a good position to make pitches all day and I started to gain some momentum and steam as the game started rolling,” he said. “Certainly, I’m in a better spot physically than I was the other day. Any player at any time will tell you to take that rest. It was definitely beneficial to have a few extra days.”

The Yankees have won three consecutive series and seven of their last eight games.

“I think that we’re playing good baseball and we’re getting rewarded for it,” Cole said. “We’re going to keep our heads down and keep doing what we’re doing.”