Gerrit Cole, pitching in his second start since returning from Tommy John surgery, demonstrated moments of his former Cy Young form late in the New York Yankees' 4-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Saturday. Despite allowing four runs in 5 1/3 innings, Cole noted a positive shift in his pitching approach and feel during the game.
"I got more aggressive as the game went on," Cole said. He felt that in the early innings, an effort to be overly careful with his command led to a less effective outing. After giving up solo home runs to Masataka Yoshida and Anthony Seigler in the first two innings, and a two-run double to Willson Contreras in the third, Cole adjusted his strategy.
Following Contreras' double, Cole retired nine of the next 11 batters he faced. "I tried to free myself up," Cole explained. "The command sometimes isn't there. You have to go after it then and not care as much about where the pitch is going." This more aggressive mindset, according to Cole and teammates, helped him regain a better feel for his pitches.
"Coming off surgery, he’s slowly starting to unlock and feel like himself again," said teammate Austin Wells. "He started to free himself up again after trying to be too perfect. He was able to break free the last couple of innings, just go out and pitch and not worry too much about results. That freed him up and gave him some good momentum going forward."
Cole has allowed nine runs in 9 2/3 innings over his last two starts. Fenway Park has historically been a challenging venue for Cole; among ballparks where he has made more than three starts, he holds his worst ERA (5.52), WHIP (1.409), and opposing OPS (.864) there. The homers to Yoshida and Seigler, along with Contreras' double, were all hit on four-seam fastballs, a pitch Cole used less frequently on Saturday. Despite the overall results, the Yankees are looking for Cole to build momentum as he continues his recovery and progresses through the season.