CHICAGO -- The easy friendship between Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon began more than a decade ago, sparking almost immediately between a pair of prospects in the hallways of a Bradenton, Fla., training complex. Over the years, they’ve shared countless laughs, meals and experiences, but somehow there had never been a pitching matchup between the pals.

That changed on Sunday, as Cole and Taillon engaged in their long-awaited matchup, coincidentally marked by Cole’s 34th birthday. Cole’s wishes that they both would pitch well were fulfilled, with the hurlers each tossing six strong innings, but the Yankees fell to the Cubs, 2-1, at Wrigley Field.

“He’s a great dude, and probably a future Hall of Famer,” Taillon said. “It’s really cool to follow his career, be a little part of it and obviously get to match up against him.”

Their relationship began on sun-drenched afternoons at the Pirate City training complex, where Taillon had reported after being the Pirates’ first-round selection (second overall) in the 2010 MLB Draft and where Cole went after being taken first overall by the Bucs in 2011. Cole recalled that his first roommate was Clay Holmes, now a teammate with the Yankees, while Taillon was one room down with Tyler Glasnow.

They would be teammates with the Pirates (2016-17) and Yankees (2021-22); Cole and Taillon learned to play the guitar together, swapped recommendations for wines and whiskeys and shared thoughts about the art of navigating lineups -- yes, there were lots and lots of those. As Cole recalled recently, “Jamo clicks with everybody. You’re not going to find a person who doesn’t like Jamo.”

Earlier this week, Cole’s wife, Amy, arranged a surprise cruise for the ex-teammates on the Chicago River. Cole has said that he considers Taillon his “closest friend in the game,” marveling at the righty’s tenacity to overcome two Tommy John surgeries and testicular cancer.

“He’s a great friend; super loyal, been there for me through a lot of different times,” Taillon said. “And he’s a hell of a pitcher. I’ve missed watching him, so today I made sure in between my innings to find a vantage point where I could watch him and see what he was up to, see how he was throwing our guys.”

Cole had said that he hoped the hurlers would both be able to “feel good about” their respective performances, but the defeat was bittersweet. The Yankees missed an opportunity to bolster their lead in the American League East over the Orioles, who lost earlier in the afternoon to the Rays. New York remained a half-game ahead of Baltimore.

Isaac Paredes’ two-run first-inning single off Cole held up as the difference, a knock that fell in front of center fielder Aaron Judge after a Gleyber Torres error extended the inning. Of Torres’ miscue on Cody Bellinger’s grounder, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that “it was sharply hit, and the in-between hop got him.”

“Bellinger hit it pretty well,” said Torres, who leads all Major League second basemen with 17 errors. “I think I had a chance to make that play. Unfortunately, I missed.”

Cole was also irked by a pitch to Mike Tauchman in the first that he thought should have registered a strikeout, part of a 31-pitch frame -- the longest of the season for the Yanks’ ace.

“That one kind of stunk,” Cole said. “I had a couple opportunities to pick us up and get us out, but I just didn’t make enough good pitches.”

That was all the Cubs managed against Cole, who scattered three hits while walking one and striking out seven, now owning a 1.58 ERA (seven earned runs in 40 innings) over seven starts since Aug. 4. Taillon was a touch sharper, avoiding trouble and limiting the Yanks to Anthony Volpe’s second-inning sacrifice fly over six frames, scattering six hits.

“We had a really good plan from the beginning, but we didn’t make much damage to him,” Torres said. “We know Taillon so well, so we tried to figure out the plan. Unfortunately, we couldn’t complete the damage.”

The Cubs were helped by three nice catches in left field by Ian Happ. Of Taillon’s effort, Cole said: “He pitched really well. I just didn’t make enough good pitches to hold the lead.”

Asked what they would take away from this showdown, Cole replied: “I think it was just fun competition, a fun day. And I guess [we are] looking forward to the next.”