Gerrit Cole pitched five innings for his first win of the season and the New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-1 on Sunday to split their four-game series.
While the win was meaningful for Cole as he battles back from injury that kept him out for most of the 2024 season, he also shared another reason Sunday was a special day – his son Caden's birthday:
Said Cole at the end of his postgame comments, “I just want to add one more thing. Hey Caden, happy birthday. I love you dude.”
Back in the Yankees' postgame studio on the YES Network, Jack Curry and Dave Valle took those birthday wishes a step further and broke down a scouting report on young Caden.
The elder Cole wasn't the only one who stepped up for the Yankees on Sunday. Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 31st home run in the win to wrap up a scorching hot June. Judge hit .409 in June with 11 homers and 37 RBI.
Juan Soto was a late addition to New York’s lineup after sitting out Saturday’s loss because of a bruised right hand. The three-time All-Star and 2020 NL batting champion went 1 for 3 with an RBI and two walks.
Gerrit Cole working his way back for Yankees
Gerrit Cole has pitched five seasons for the Yankees and is coming off a season in which he won the Cy Young Award. He was 15-4 in 2023 with a 2.64 earned run average while pitching 209.0 innings. He struck out 222 batters while allowing 157 hits and 48 bases on balls.
So it was a big loss for the Yankees when Cole injured his elbow in spring training before the season. After spending several month resting, he was able to slowly begin a rehab process that involved long toss, strengthening exercises, and simulated innings. Afterward, Cole made several minor league rehab starts before rejoining New York's rotation earlier this month.
Cole has been an All-Star six times in his career, and he has a lifetime record of 145-75 with a 3.17 ERA. He won 19 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2015, and he made the All-Star Game for the first time that season. Cole won a career-best 20 games in the 2019 season while pitching for the Houston Astros. He led the American League with a 2.50 ERA and 326 strikeouts while hurling 212.1 innings that season.
Cole's return to the starting rotation will likely make the Yankees even tougher during the last 3-plus months of the season. Especially if Judge and Soto continue to hit like they have so far through this point in the season.
