Gerrit Cole's commanding performance on the mound was not enough to secure a victory for the New York Yankees, who suffered a 5-3, 10-inning defeat against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday. Cole, making another start with limited run support from an offense missing Aaron Judge, retired the first 14 batters he faced and ultimately pitched seven innings, recording a season-high 11 strikeouts. However, the Yankees' offense could not provide the necessary support, leading to a loss in which Cole did not factor into the decision.
The former Cy Young winner allowed three runs on four hits, including two home runs, and issued no walks. He exited the game with the Yankees trailing and scoreless. Manager Aaron Boone praised Cole's outing, stating, "I thought Gerrit was really good. He had everything kind of going. Both slider and curveball were a factor. Changeup was good. He was efficient." Boone added, "I think he’s in a really good place and getting back his competitive sea legs."
Cole, who returned to pitching two months after Tommy John surgery, showed flashes of his previous ace form. He generated 21 swings and misses, his highest total in 24 starts, and recorded his most strikeouts since August 25, 2023. This performance marked his 24th career start with at least 10 strikeouts and no walks, placing him fifth in MLB history. Cole also achieved his franchise-best 29th double-digit strikeout game.
Despite Cole's dominance through much of the game, the Pirates broke the scoreless tie in the fifth inning when Nick Gonzales hit a two-out single, followed by a two-run home run from Jacob Gonzalez. The Pirates extended their lead to 3-0 in the seventh inning when Gonzales hit a solo home run, his second of the game off Cole. This marked Cole's 11th home run allowed in his past nine starts.
"I felt like I gave it a chance out of the hand, but it stayed too close to him," Cole said of the first home run. "The second homer from the other Gonzalez was a challenge fastball in a 1-0 count and a beautiful swing. Look, you gotta be filling up the strike zone, you gotta be aggressive and sometimes you make the aggressive mistake. Both of those were aggressive mistakes."
Cole reflected on his outing, calling it "a good step forward for sure." He noted, "All things considered, it’s been really good throughout the whole year. But we’re always trying to fine-tune and keep getting a little better."
The Yankees, now 4-7 in games started by Cole this season, struggled offensively. The team had scored only one run in Cole's previous two starts. In Wednesday's game, the Yankees managed to tie the score, but ultimately fell in extra innings.