Ryan Garcia
When the Yankees made it official that Gerrit Cole would get the start against the Red Sox on Wednesday, there was a buzz in the air that hasn’t been felt in quite some time.
There are some good pitchers in this organization such as Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, and Cam Schlittler, but nobody can truly captivate the fanbase the way Cole has.
His plethora of big-game performances, the 2023 Cy Young Award, and the eye-popping pitch mix make him must-watch television when he’s on, which is why there was a bit of an absence felt in the 2025 season.
Seeing him in person was more than just the outing itself, but about seeing how detail-oriented the star pitcher is and how his presence commands not just a crowd of Yankees fans, but also a crowd of peers.
READ: NY Yankees have a confident and dominant prospect in Carlos Lagrange
Gerrit Cole Put on a Show For the Yankees in Spring Training Debut
On a gorgeous day at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Gerrit Cole took the mound for the Yankees for the first time since 2025, when he would get a beatdown from the Minnesota Twins.
He would not throw a single pitch above 97.6 MPH that afternoon, and just days later it would be revealed by Bryan Hoch of MLB.com that Cole would undergo an MRI on his right throwing elbow.
Unlike in 2024 where there was some uncertainty about the extent of the injury, the Yankee world seemingly knew exactly what was going to be revealed when examining his elbow health.
Nobody knows himself better than Gerrit Cole, an obsessive athlete whose competitive fire and ruthless desire for perfection have created a strict routine that he follows to a tee.
He began his outdoor throwing in the outfield, with Cam Schlittler among those observing the craftsman at work, meticulously increasing the distance between himself and the catcher to build up.
This would then move to the bullpen, where fans crowded around the railing to watch Gerrit Cole begin throwing to Austin Wells, who had returned from his expedition with the Dominican Republic in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
A start that meant nothing to the Yankees’ win-loss record had a unique buzz and energy during this warmup; it felt as if the crowd was anticipating a postseason matchup as they understood the weight of the moment they were experiencing.
The pop in Austin Wells’ glove was an indicator for what the audience was about to see; Gerrit Cole would wrap up his pre-game routine and head out to the field where fans showered him in applause.
He completed his warm-up prior to the 1:05 PM EST first pitch, crouched before the mound as he always does before a start, and began putting on a show.
With weeks of throwing under his belt, Cole looked as smooth and buttery as ever delivering the baseball, attacking the zone and reaching 98.7 MPH on his fastball in his lone inning of work.
He failed to register a swing-and-miss and also failed to punch out a batter, but the in-game results themselves were less relevant than the quality of his pitches.
Gerrit Cole sat 97.1 MPH with 17 inches of ride on his four-seamer, his bullet slider was sitting 90 MPH with good depth and lateral movement, and his sharp curveball had its usual bite and movement as well.
This looked like a snapshot of the frontline starter that the Yankees had been used to seeing for years and that creates a lot of excitement around how good this rotation could be.
A return to dominance for the right-hander is exactly what the team needs to have a ferocious pitching staff chock-full with high-upside talent.
Max Fried, Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Cam Schlittler, Ryan Weathers, Will Warren, Luis Gil, Elmer Rodriguez, and Carlos Lagrange are among some of the notable options the Bronx Bombers could hand the ball to during the 2026 season.
Not all of them will click or stay healthy, but if Gerrit Cole is among the pitchers who live up to their fullest potential, the Yankees could finally snap their 16-year title drought.
More about:New York Yankees
