BOSTON – Gerrit Cole recently likened his return from Tommy John surgery to a “blank canvas,” with his first starts representing a base layer of white paint. Each outing serves a different purpose, from the 10-strikeout performances to the rough ones.
Now the Yankees’ right-hander is set to reach a new milestone, and this one will come bathed in Fenway Park green. Cole will return to the rivalry on Saturday afternoon, set to take on the Red Sox in the third game of a four-game series.
Making his seventh start of the season, the 35-year-old Cole is coming off his shakiest effort thus far, having permitted five runs and nine hits over 4 1/3 innings in a loss to the Tigers at Comerica Park on Monday.
“The opposition is going to put pressure on you sometimes,” Cole said in Detroit. “The reality is, it’s not the try-hard league. It’s the get-it-done league.”
Cole will be looking for a performance more in line with his previous outing, when he held the White Sox to two runs over six innings in New York’s 12-2 win on June 16.
Cole’s most recent start against the Red Sox was on Sept. 14, 2024, when he took the loss in a 7-1 decision at Yankee Stadium.
Cole hasn’t pitched at Fenway since a six-inning no-decision on Sept. 13, 2022. Over his career, he’s 2-3 with a 5.52 ERA in eight career starts at Boston.
Through six starts this year, Cole has pitched to a 2-2 record and 3.62 ERA.
“I think overall, he’s pitching very much in line with who Gerrit Cole has been throughout his career,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I think he looks good. The stuff is there. It always comes down to how good you execute, time in and time out. For the most part, he’s been very good.”