SOMERSET, N.J. — Gerrit Cole walked off the mound for the final time with his head tilted downward and with hardly an expression on his face.
It was Friday night, and the last time the New York Yankees’ ace had pitched in a game that counted was Game 5 of the World Series in 2024 — a span of 534 days that included the lows of Tommy John surgery rehabilitation. Still, even with the crowd cheering wildly around him and with a major hurdle cleared on his path back to the majors, Cole didn’t have the time to enjoy the moment.
“It’s exciting,” he said, “but I’m not looking farther than really what I’ve got to do the next couple of days.”
It was especially exciting for the Yankees, who watched Cole touch 97 mph, throw a handful of sharp breaking balls and last 4 1/3 innings in his first rehab start for Double-A Somerset in a 9-8 win over the Philadelphia Phillies’ affiliate at TD Bank Ballpark.
Cole lasted 44 pitches, giving up three hits, including a two-run home run, three earned runs and a walk with three strikeouts.
Most importantly, he was healthy and poised to make his next rehab start in five or six days. Cole said he didn’t know where the start would occur, though Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre will be at home next week and Somerset will be on the road in Virginia.
Cole said he was mostly happy with all his pitches. He said he was “pleased” with his changeup and that his curveball “was very sharp.” (Courtesy of the Somerset Patriots)
“It was a nice night,” Cole said. “It was fun to get back out there with game-like situations.”
An opposing scout who watched the game from behind home plate thought Cole looked right on track.
“I’d be very encouraged,” he said.
The scout noted how Cole’s fastball bounced between 97 mph and 95 mph through the first three innings, and how his knuckle curveball had depth but will likely gain more “bite” as he “gets more confidence with it” deeper into his rehab assignment. He was especially impressed, considering it was just Cole’s first rehab start, though he did make two starts in spring training and had recently been throwing live batting practices.
Cole said he was mostly happy with all his pitches. He said he was “pleased” with his changeup and that his curveball “was very sharp.” He said his slider was “good” and that his fastball was “good overall,” though he thought he could have done a better job moving it around the strike zone.
Gerrit Cole’s night is over. He looked fine, by Cole’s standards. Some FB command issues in the second. Stuff seemed to be there, esp for a 1st rehab start.
44 pitches.
4 1/3 innings, 3 hits, 3 ER, 1 walk, 3 K. #Yankees pic.twitter.com/RP36JeGaG2
— Brendan Kuty 🧟♂️ (@BrendanKutyNJ) April 17, 2026
Cole needed 14 pitches to get through the first inning, hitting 95 mph on his first pitch. Somerset batted around in the first inning, erupting for five runs. The inning took more than 20 minutes, and by the time Cole retook the mound for the second frame, his fastball command wasn’t as sharp. He said the one-out, full-count walk he gave up to Raylin Heredia was “bad.” He also wasn’t happy with the slider that Dylan Campbell smoked for a double to center field, scoring a run, and in the next at-bat, Bryon Ware ripped a two-run home run that just cleared the 315-feet sign in the right-field corner.
With one out in the third inning, Carson DeMartini hit a bouncer to first base, and while Coby Morales made the play, Cole shook his head afterward, knowing he wasn’t there to cover the bag in time.
“I got there late, dude,” he said. “That was not good.”
Everything else? Pretty good.
“Early was just fastballs for strikes,” he said. “As many heart-of-the-plate — as many as we can get. Just start repping that out. The second inning, I tried to move (the fastball) a little more, but I paid the price of that, having not been sharp. After that, my fastball allocation was really high, so I came through the lineup a second time and tried some off-speed and had a good run of lefties to work some changeups. Some curveballs for strike one. Then curveball for strike one to a right-hander. Probably the only thing that I didn’t really accomplish was moving the four-seam as well as I know I can, but it looked really good from, like, a metrics standpoint.”
It was plenty for the Yankees and Cole to feel good about where he’s heading, even if it won’t be back to The Bronx for at least another few weeks.
