Gerrit Cole is back! Three things we learned from the return of the Yankees ace
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Jorge Castillo, ESPN Staff Writer
NEW YORK — For nearly three months, the New York Yankees trampled expectations without their ace Gerrit Cole. They posted the best record in the majors while the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner served as an unofficial assistant pitching coach as he recovered from an elbow injury.
But the Yankees know reaching the ultimate goal — winning the franchise’s 28th World Series title and first since 2009 — almost certainly requires a healthy Cole on the mound in October.
Cole’s season debut Wednesday night in a 7-6, 10-inning loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium was a significant checkpoint. And the results were encouraging: Four-plus innings, two runs on three hits and five strikeouts to one walk. Most importantly, Cole emerged healthy. It was a positive, if abbreviated, step in the right direction.
Here are three things to take away from Cole’s first start of the 2024 season.
1. He’s (nearly) ready for prime time
Cole made just three rehab outings in preparation for Wednesday. The pitch counts: 45, 57, 68. The Yankees would’ve been justified in having Cole make one more start in Triple-A to build up further. But they decided Cole was ready enough to use against their chief competition in the AL East. And they were right.
Cole’s average fastball velocity was down 1.6 mph from last season, he gave up some hard contact and he had trouble putting a few batters away, but he was very sharp given the circumstances. The right-hander threw 62 pitches, 40 for strikes. He induced six whiffs and 13 called strikes, with full command of his five-pitch arsenal.
“I think the location was good,” Cole said. “And I felt like the pitches were crisp. I think I got a swing-and miss on every offering. The consistency probably has to progress as well with the pitch count. I threw a couple of wonky sliders, but made a great slider in a big spot. It’s encouraging.”
Not surprisingly, it took some time for Cole to find his footing. His season started with some loud contact. Gunnar Henderson led the game off with a 109.1-mph one-hopper that bounced off second baseman Gleyber Torres‘ glove and into right field for a double. Two batters later, Ryan O’Hearn barreled an 0-2 slider for a 102.3-mph, two-out RBI ground-rule double.
From there, Cole settled in, retiring nine of the next 10 batters he faced. He retired the side in the second inning on just seven pitches. He walked Henderson in the third inning — and watched Henderson steal second base — but registered his first three strikeouts of the season and left Henderson stranded. The Orioles went down in order on 16 pitches in the fourth.
“I thought he got better as the game went along,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
The Orioles hit six pitches at least 101.5 mph., but the costly damage was limited to those two doubles in the first inning and Cedric Mullins‘ leadoff single in the fifth. That allowed Cole to average just over 15 pitches per inning, an economic output on a night when he needed to be economical to avoid overstressing the bullpen ahead of Thursday’s rubber game.
Cole exited to a standing ovation in the fifth, with Mullins on base and the game tied at one. Reliever Ron Marinaccio promptly surrendered a two-run home run to Ramon Urías. The Yankees would rally to tie late in the game, so Cole didn’t factor in the decision. It wasn’t a vintage Cole performance, but that was never on the menu.
“It was nice,” Cole said of making his return. “It was kind of a special game for me, a little bit. It’s just been a long few months and a lot of emotions. I wasn’t too sure how I was going to feel out there, but locating the ball quells the nerves a little bit.”
2. He wasn’t happy with how it ended
Cole left the game angry with himself for throwing a high fastball to Mullins to start the fifth inning and end his outing. He explained that was why he looked so frustrated as he left the game — not because he wanted to stay in the game longer.
Cole recalled throwing a fastball away to Mullins in their first clash that produced a lineout to center field. He wasn’t pleased with the location the next time around against the veteran center fielder.
“He’s ready for it,” Cole said of Mullins. “I have like 30 at-bats against him. He put a good swing on it and got up the middle and so probably just a little frustration with the cat and mouse. Cedric got me again on a high fastball.”
Mullins is now 9-for-26 with two doubles and a home run in 27 career plate appearances against Cole.
3. There’s ‘more’ to come … but how much more is a mystery
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Gerrit Cole’s son exhilarated after spotting dad from stands
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole gives a nod toward the stands to his son Caden, who is very happy to see his dad in the dugout.
Before the game, Boone refused to divulge Cole’s pitch count, asserting that sharing the information would create a competitive disadvantage. It turns out the number was 65, which was why Boone pulled Cole after just one pitch in the fifth inning.
Boone said he sensed Cole was fatigued after the fourth inning, but he wanted Cole to face one more batter. Mullins made it quick with a single on Cole’s 62nd pitch.
“I thought I held up well,” Cole said. “I’m tired now. Certainly a different level. It just demands a higher level of focus and execution. I felt like I definitely could keep making pitches, but it was strategic in the pitch count.”
What about the next time out? Cole, echoing his manager’s competitive disadvantage line, declined to share that information other than to say the pitch count will be “more.”
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — After some uncertainty, the Tampa Bay Rays now support a $55.7 million city plan to repair hurricane-shredded Tropicana Field in time for the 2026 season opener, while the team prepares to play this year at the New York Yankees‘ spring training home in nearby Tampa.
Matt Silverman, the Rays’ co-president, said in an email to the St. Petersburg chief administrator that the team wants to “clear up” any questions about its support for the reconstruction. The city must pay for the work under its current contract with the Rays.
“While we had been open to considering a scenario in which the city bought out of its obligation to rebuild the ballpark, the Rays support and expect the city to rebuild Tropicana Field in accordance with the terms of the current use agreement,” Silverman wrote.
Hurricane Milton tore the Trop’s fabric roof to pieces when it came ashore Oct. 9, causing water and other damage to interior parts of the now-exposed ballpark. Work has been ongoing to ensure no further damage is caused by weather but there had been questions about the full repair in part because it would eventually be torn down to make way for a new, $1.3 billion ballpark under current plans to keep the Rays in St. Petersburg another 30 years.
Time is of the essence, Silverman said in his Dec. 30 email to the city, which released it Monday. Even a partial 2026 season at Tropicana Field “would present massive logistical and revenue challenges for the team,” he wrote.
“It is therefore critical that the rebuild start in earnest as soon as possible” with a realistic construction schedule to be ready by Opening Day 2026, he added.
The city had no immediate comment on the email. Its own architect presented the repair proposal initially Dec. 12 but it has not yet been fully approved. Members of the city council have balked at the cost, especially with residents and businesses still recovering from Milton and Hurricane Helene before that.
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch has said that insurance and Federal Emergency Management Agency funds should cover the bulk of the cost. Silverman said Major League Baseball has told the team it will hire its own adviser to monitor the repair work and timeline.
The planned new downtown Rays ballpark is part of a $6.5 billion project that will include affordable housing, a Black history museum, retail and office space, restaurants and bars. The project is known as the Historic Gas Plant District, which was once a thriving Black community displaced by the construction of the ballpark and an interstate highway.
The Rays are preparing to play 2025 home games at Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees’ 11,000-seat spring training location in Tampa. Once Tropicana Field is repaired, Silverman acknowledged the Rays are obligated to play there three more seasons under the contract with St. Petersburg.
“We look forward to a grand reopening,” Silverman said.
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Andrea Adelson, ESPN Senior Writer
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has fired defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin, he announced Monday.
The Tigers’ defense — particularly against the run — took a significant step back in the third season under Goodwin. Clemson allowed an average of 160.6 rushing yards per game — its worst performance since 2011. That includes 292 yards rushing allowed in a 38-24 loss to Texas in a College Football Playoff first-round game last month.
Goodwin was promoted from within in 2022 to replace Brent Venables, who left to become head coach at Oklahoma. In 2021, the last season under Venables, Clemson ranked No. 7 in the country in rush defense (96.3 yards per game) and No. 8 in total defense (310.2 yards per game).
Swinney said he met with Goodwin on Sunday night to inform him of the decision.
“Wes has been a part of our program for 13 of the past 16 years, and he played an instrumental part in all of our success,” Swinney said in a statement. “I love Wes and his family and wish him all the best as he continues his journey. I know he has a bright future ahead.”
Swinney said he hopes to have a new defensive coordinator in place by the end of the month “or sooner.”
“Our staff has been hard at work on our roster, and we look forward to solidifying our defensive coordinator position to help lead this extremely talented group as we pursue our goals for 2025,” Swinney said.
Clemson returns the bulk of its playoff team — including defensive starters T.J. Parker, Peter Woods, Wade Woodaz and Avieon Terrell. The offense looks ready to make another major leap with Cade Klubnik and receivers Bryant Wesco, Antonio Williams and T.J. Moore all returning — making it an absolute priority to get the defense fixed.
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