Gerrit Cole got the feel of the major leagues for the first time this year last week against the AL-East rivals Baltimore Orioles as he made his season debut almost two months into the 2024 MLB season. Cole missed a lot of time due to elbow nerve inflammation and edema injury.
The New York Yankee ace is also a defending AL CY Young pitcher. Hence, his importance is the starting rotation cannot be underestimated. However, Gerrit Cole’s season debut was short and simple as the pitcher is apparently still not fully built up from the spring training injury scare.
Gerrit Cole Unlikely To Go Over 70-75 Pitches Vs Mets
New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole recently disclosed that he will be under pitch count restrictions during the upcoming Subway Series against the New York Mets. This revelation comes as the Yanks look to manage Cole’s workload and ensure his health and effectiveness for the long haul of the season. Cole pitched 4.2 innings on his season debut against the Orioles last week. His stuff was decent, as Cole allowed two runs and struck out five hitters as well. After a leadoff single in the fifth, Aaron Boone called it time on Cole’s start. That being said, the defending AL CY Young pitcher seemed happy on his debut performance. However, Cole revealed that he is not fully built up yet as the team has a pitch count restriction in place for him.
Notably, Gerrit Cole built up around 70 pitches in his third and final rehab outing with Triple-A. But against the Orioles, Cole finished with 62 pitches only. His four-season fastball averaged 95 mph, down from 96.7 mph he averaged last year. Moreover, against the Mets, Cole is scheduled to start on Tuesday, and the pitch count for the day would be around 70-75 pitches. “I’m kind of in the thick of it. Just keep getting built up,” Cole said after season debut. The ace added that he would stay mindful and selective of the pitches he wanted to use to cause maximum damage in a limited time. But at the same time, Cole believes that since he is not fully built up, it’s tough for him to set expectations for himself for the upcoming series against city rivals, the Mets.
Cole Reveals Getting Emotional On Season Debut!
After two months of gruelling rehab sessions and therapy, ace Gerrit Cole made his season debut for the New York Yankees last week. He threw 4.2 innings and was emotional after the game. He said being out of the game for two months is never easy. Cole felt like he was venturing out into the unknown.
“A lot of emotions. I wasn’t too sure how I was going to feel out there,” Gerrit Cole said. Moreover, Cole was also happy with his execution. He got swing and misses off almost every pitch variation and that gave him a lot of confidence. However, with pitch count restrictions, Cole couldn’t express himself the way he would want to.
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