Gerrit Cole is one of the few Yankee starters that doesn’t carry some sort of question mark. Aside from throwing limited innings last year due to the shortened season, Cole is healthy and the unquestionable ace of the staff.
So after a typical spring where he showed his usual efficiency, Cole is ready to get to the games that actually matter.
“You have some goals typically that you set, wanting to get to the sixth, wanting to get the pitch count up, work on a few sequences, tidy things up and work on approach,” Cole said after Friday’s start, his final appearance before Opening Day. “And we did a lot of those things well.”
Cole’s last outing included 5.2 shutout innings with no walks and five strikeouts, as he concludes his spring training with a 2.45 ERA in 18.1 innings, having allowed five earned runs and three walks while striking out 24.
“I fit every marker this spring so far,” Cole said. “Should go out there with a pretty full clip. I’ve been happy with the shapes of the pitches, happy with attacking the zone, so yeah, I feel like I’m as prepared as I can be, since there’s no more starts.”
The Yankees’ rotation as a whole, such a big unknown heading into spring, also looks to be heading into Opening Day at max ammo. Despite the plethora of injury concerns, Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon have both been effective, and more importantly, healthy, while Jordan Montgomery has looked like his 2017 self as he prepares for what he hopes will be his first full season since undergoing Tommy John surgery. Domingo German, who hasn’t pitched in a regular season game since September of 2019 after being suspended for violating the league’s domestic violence policy, has been lights out this spring, winning the fifth starter spot over Deivi Garcia. The staff as a whole looks ready for Opening Day after two straight years of spring injuries.
“It’s hard not to feel really good,” Cole said. “I think everybody is feeling really good, which is a good sign. I think guys are pleased with some of their execution so far, and everybody is seemingly settled in.”
Of course, things can change once the season starts, or even in the days before, but at this point in the home stretch of spring training, Cole appears to be leading a healthy staff that provided a best-case scenario throughout camp.
“The regular season brings some new challenges and I’m sure there will be some adjusting come April and May,” Cole said. “But heck, we’re getting out of the gate six deep. I don’ think we’re going to carry six, but boy, that doesn’t happen often, so we’re in a good spot.”
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