New York Yankees: How did Gerrit Cole perform in his first start this time last year?

New York Yankees, Gerrit Cole
Mar 5, 2020; Lakeland, Florida, USA; New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) reacts on the mound during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees invested a boatload of money into one of the best starting pitchers in Major League Baseball this offseason, and what type of boat you ask? The amount of cash Gerrit Cole is set to earn will require a barge — $324 million over nine years. That type of money could build a mattress of pure cash, Breaking Bad style!

However, Cole will be expected to live up to his contractual obligations, which includes featuring as the Yankees’ ace and arguably best player. His performance in 2019 will evidently go down in the record books, as he secured a 2.50 ERA and 326 strikeouts.

Cole was dominant in every sense of the word, and he’s preparing to carry a Yankees team that has been hit by the injury bug this offseason.

How did New York Yankees pitcher, Gerrit Cole, perform in his first start last season?

Believe it or not, Cole earned his first loss of the season on March 29 of last year, but it wasn’t a result of his pitching. The righty pitcher secured a 1.50 ERA during the game, allowing one homer and one earned run over 6.0 innings pitched. He struck out an impressive ten batters, but his team still lost 2-4, despite their cheating efforts.

Cole averaged about 6.0 innings pitched per game throughout the season, but saw an increase to around 7.0 in September of 2019. His ability to stay on the mound and put together quality performances is why the Yankees invested so much cash into him.

However, he does allow the occasional dud. He allowed six runs or more in a single game twice — once against the Texas Rangers early on in the year where he was smacked around for eight runs over nine hits. The second occasion was in May against the Chicago White Sox, where he allowed six runs. Other than those two outings, he allowed four runs a few times but was otherwise stellar throughout the season.

With the Yankees continuing to prepare for the regular season, Cole will be ready, despite giving up four homers in two innings a few weeks ago against the Detroit Tigers. Don’t fret; it was an anomaly.