NY Yankees ace Gerrit Cole opens up after long-awaited return vs Rays

The New York Yankees didn’t get the result they wanted Friday night, falling 4-2 to the Tampa Bay Rays, but the return of Gerrit Cole still gave the team a major boost moving forward. The former Cy Young winner made his first MLB appearance since Game 5 of the 2024 World Series after recovering from Tommy John surgery.

After the game, Cole shared a simple but honest reaction about being back on the mound again. “It was lovely,” he said with a smile while reflecting on his long-awaited return, according to SNY.

The Yankees ace looked sharp throughout the outing, throwing six scoreless innings while allowing only two hits and striking out two batters, with the team also preparing a potential role adjustment involving Anthony Volpe and Jose Caballero. Cole also reached close to 99 mph with his fastball and generated several swings and misses during his 72-pitch performance.

Cole gives Yankees rotation major boost

Even though the Yankees could not hold the lead late in the game, Cole’s return was one of the biggest positives of the night for New York. “Really exciting to get him back and have him go out there,” manager Aaron Boone said after the game. “He was on point.”

Gerrit Cole #45 of the Yankees pitches during the first inning against the Rays. Ishika Samant/Getty Images

Austin Wells provided the Yankees’ early offense with a solo home run, but Tampa Bay responded with a four-run eighth inning to take control and continue its strong recent run in the AL East.

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Yankees hoping Cole changes division race

The Rays have now won eight of their last 10 games and sit 5.5 games ahead of New York in the division standings. Still, the Yankees believe Cole’s return could become a major turning point during the second half of the season.

For Cole, simply being back on a major league mound again carried special meaning after more than a year away from live MLB action. “It was almost like a second debut,” Cole said. “It was nice to get back in the fire.”