Cole solid in season debut, eyes higher pitch limit
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Jorge Castillo, ESPN Staff Writer
NEW YORK — New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole‘s assignment for his season debut Wednesday wasn’t cushy: a mid-June clash against the loaded Baltimore Orioles, his club’s primary competition for American League East supremacy, after just three rehab starts fresh off an alarming elbow injury.
But Cole isn’t your typical pitcher, and the Yankees deemed him ready knowing he would have to build up his stamina at the highest level. Working with a short leash Wednesday, the reigning Cy Young Award winner proved he was up for the challenge. He was sharp, with a touch of rust, over four-plus innings in front of a sellout crowd at Yankee Stadium, though New York would go on to lose 7-6 in 10 innings.
The right-hander was charged with two runs on three hits. He compiled five strikeouts to one walk. He threw 62 pitches and induced six swing-and-misses. His average fastball velocity was down 1.6 mph from last season, but he still touched 97 mph.
“I felt pretty good,” Cole said. “Good command for the most part. And made some good pitches when we needed to make some good pitches.”
Cole took the mound for his long-awaited return at 7:07 p.m. to cheers after a video montage was played on the big screen highlighting his debut. It began with a couple of bumps.
The Orioles inflicted most of their damage against Cole in the first inning. Gunnar Henderson led off the game with a one-hopper that bounced off second baseman Gleyber Torres‘ glove into right field and was ruled a double. Two batters later, Ryan O’Hearn, facing an 0-2, slashed a slider for a two-out, RBI ground-rule double.
Cole quickly regrouped. He needed just seven pitches to retire the side in the second inning. He issued a one-out walk to Henderson in the third. Henderson stole second base on the next pitch but was stranded there as Cole recorded his first three strikeouts of the season in the inning.
Cole retired the side in order with two strikeouts in the fourth frame on 16 pitches. He took the mound for the fifth inning but was pulled for reliever Ron Marinaccio after surrendering a first-pitch single to Cedric Mullins. The crowd showered Cole with a standing ovation. Cole, visibly annoyed with the end of his performance, acknowledged the supporters with his glove twice.
Then he watched Marinaccio yield a two-run home run to Ramon Urias for the second of the two runs on his pitching line.
“I thought he got better as he went,” said Boone, who noted he sensed Cole was fatigued after the fourth inning.
Before the game, Boone declined to share Cole’s pitch limit, not wanting to give the Orioles a competitive edge. But Cole was obviously going to be limited after he was built up to 68 pitches over 4⅓ innings in his third and final rehab start Friday.
Boone said the goal was to build up Cole “conservatively.” On Wednesday, that meant a 65-pitch limit, Boone said after the game. Asked what his pitch limit would be in his next outing, Cole echoed his manager’s competitive disadvantage line. But he did offer a hint: “More.”
“I’m tired now,” Cole said. “Certainly a different level. It just demands a higher level of focus and execution. I definitely felt I could keep making pitches, but it was strategic in the pitch count. And, certainly, in that regard we executed that perfectly.”
The Cincinnati Reds on Monday acquired veteran infielder Gavin Lux from the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Los Angeles will receive a Competitive Balance Round A pick (around No. 37) and outfield prospect Mike Sirota in the deal for Lux, 27, who hit .251 last season with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs.
The Reds have been looking for infield help after they dealt second baseman Jonathan India to the Kansas City Royals in November. Cincinnati added veteran right-handed pitcher Brady Singer from the Royals in the India deal.
Lux played in 139 games for the Dodgers last season, and 129 the season before. In Los Angeles’ run to the World Series title last season, he had one home run and four RBIs in 12 games.
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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