New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole looked much more like himself in his third start of the season.
After finding himself on the wrong side of Yankees history during his last outing against the New York Mets, Cole bounced back in a big way.
Extending himself to a season-high 90 pitches (61 strikes), Cole tossed 5.0 innings while allowing three hits, one run and one walk while striking out six batters.
Gerrit Cole with a very nice outing pic.twitter.com/9BWe4G9sQe
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) June 30, 2024
Outside of the fact that he extended himself to 90 pitches for the first time since the 2023 season, Cole's fastball was the most encouraging development from the start.
Cole's fastball topped out at 97.6 mph and averaged 95.8 mph. He leaned heavily on his fastball, throwing it 53% of the time while mixing in his slider, cutter and knuckle curve roughly the same amount.
Cole generated 12 swings and misses on the day.
This was a much-needed step in the right direction for Cole after his last outing, and it appears he's close to providing the Yankees with an ace presence once again.
