Yankees' Gerrit Cole solid in abbreviated season debut - ESPN

NEW YORK — New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole's long-awaited season debut in an divisional clash Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles went as expected: sharp, with a touch of rust, and abbreviated.

The reigning Cy Young Award winner, diagnosed with nerve irritation and edema in his right elbow in March, was charged with two runs on three hits in four-plus innings at Yankee Stadium. The 34-year-old right-hander compiled five strikeouts to one walk and threw 62 pitches. He touched 97 mph with his fastball and induced six swing-and-misses.

Before the game, Yankees manager Aaron Boone declined to share Cole's pitch limit, not wanting to give the Orioles a competitive edge. But the leash was obviously not going to be nearly as long as usual for Cole after he was built up to 68 pitches over 4⅓ innings in his third and final rehab start Friday.

«We'll build him conservatively here to get him built up,» Boone said. «And, frankly, with all our guys we'll kind of see where they're at and what we feel like makes the most sense. But I don't necessarily think it'll be extra moving forward. It'll just be conservatively getting [the pitches] up. But, then again, listening to each start, too, to see where he is.»

The Orioles inflicted most of their damage against Cole in the first inning. Gunnar Henderson led the game off with a one-hopper that bounced off second baseman Gleyber Torres' glove into right field and was ruled a double. Two batters later, Ryan O'Hearn, facing an 0-2, slashed a slider for a two-out, RBI ground-rule double.

Cole quickly regrouped. He needed just seven pitches to retire the side in the second inning. He issued a one-out walk to Henderson in the third. Henderson stole second base on the next pitch but was