Gerrit Cole was on the bump for the New York Yankees on Friday in their matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays. It was not the start the reigning Cy Young Award winner envisioned, as he had a rough first inning.
After getting two quick outs, Cole let up a triple to Davis Schneider and then a home run to Daniel Vogelbach. Cole would end up leaving the first inning after throwing 22 pitches.
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However, Cole returned to the mound in the second inning. While he would not be able to do this during a regular season game, he was able to do so in spring training with the relaxed rules.
Yankees fans immediately got out of their seat when they saw Cole heading to the bench in the first inning. They thought their ace had gotten injured, which would have been a disaster for the club.
“I’m physically ill” one fan posted.
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“Cancel the season” another fan posted.
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Gerrit Cole ended up going two full innings, giving up two earned runs on four hits and a strikeout in his first start of the spring. He must improve on this start if he wants to take his team to the postseason and fight for a World Series title.
Outside of Gerrit Cole’s struggles, the Yankees have been impressive so far
Yankees Gerrit Cole (Image via Getty)
Outside of Gerrit Cole’s rough outing, the Yankees have been turning heads. They opened their spring schedule against the Detroit Tigers and took it to them. They won 22-10, outhitting the Tigers 15-9.
It was not just the first game, either. The Bronx Bombers have had no trouble putting runs on the board. Through six games, they have produced an impressive 45 runs.
This trend should continue into the regular season, especially after bringing in Juan Soto during the offseason. Soto played in all 162 regular season games, tying a career-high in home runs with 32.
Soto should relieve the pressure felt by guys like Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Anthony Rizzo face. They no longer have to be the only source of offense on the team.
Soto already has a home run to his credit this spring training and should have plenty more when the regular season starts. He is expected to be a free agent following the season and will do all he can to increase his free-agent value.
