BRIDGEWATER, N.J. -- That flash in the sky over New York City on Friday night around 6:35 p.m. ET was likely lightning from a passing rain shower, but maybe, for Yankees fans, it was a beacon of hope -- so bright it could be seen from some 49 miles south in Bridgewater, N.J., where ace Gerrit Cole took the mound to commence a rehab assignment with the Double-A Patriots.
Cole last appeared in a big league game on Oct. 30, 2024 -- Game 5 of the World Series against the Dodgers (534 days ago). Although he made a pair of brief appearances in Spring Training last month (totaling 2 2/3 frames), this was the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner’s first real test in his path back to the rotation in the Bronx.
“It was fun to get back out there and in a game situation -- a little extra adrenaline, crowd and whatnot,” Cole said. “It’s nice to go out there and throw a bunch of fastballs and fill the zone, but you've got to record outs. If it doesn’t go your way, you've got to figure out a way to keep going. That is an extra level compared to what you get in Spring Training.”
Cole threw exclusively fastballs in the first inning and set down the side in order in Somerset's 9-8 win over Reading. He needed 14 pitches to navigate the frame -- 12 were strikes -- and he picked up his first strikeout. After an extended bottom of the first inning, Cole looked less sharp in the second. He surrendered a walk, a double and a three-run home run -- his only runs allowed on the night.
“Early on was just fastballs for strikes -- heart of the plate, as many as we could go, just start repping those out,” he said. “The second inning, I tried to move it a little more, but I paid the price for that by not being sharp. And then after that, my fastball location was really high, so I came through the lineup the second time and tried some offspeed and had a good run of lefties, so I worked in some changeups and some curveballs for strike one.
“But it looked really good from a metrics standpoint, and we were in the zone a lot.”
Efficiency took over from there as Cole began mixing in his offspeed pitches. The 35-year-old needed just four pitches to get through each of the third and fourth innings, and another four to record the first out of the fifth before exiting. In all, the Yankees' right-hander threw 44 pitches (36 strikes) and operated in the mid-90s for most of his outing, flashing 96 mph on his 43rd pitch of the night.
“I didn’t feel like I needed to add any more today,” he said of the velocity. “And it was kind of a nice working pace, and the offspeed was thrown with the same intensity. I was pleased with the changeup today. The curveball was very sharp. I didn’t make any mistakes with that pitch. The slider was good, I hung the one slider that was the double. The fastball was good overall. Good pressure at the top and a lot of strikes and I know I can move it better.
“I wasn’t fatigued at the end, and I think that’s good to have a few in the bag. And the five ups was two more than expected tonight. So that’s a good step, too.”
So, what’s next for the six-time All-Star? Cole admitted that even he is not sure of that answer himself. In fact, he’s not even thinking about it.
“It’s exciting, but I’m not looking further than what I have to do the next couple of days,” Cole said. “Looking too far ahead and thinking about that would take me out of what I need to do right now, which is focus on one day at a time. … I’m just trying to get back into the swing of things and do that process and not really focus on where I am in terms of the rehab or how close it is to the end.”
Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe also played in the game. Boone said Volpe was expected to play for Somerset on Thursday (1-for-3), Friday (1-for-2 with a walk and two runs) and Sunday before shifting to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.