Gerrit Cole’s velocity left Yankees with one conclusion | Klapisch
· Yahoo Sports
TAMPA, Fla. — This was the moment of truth the Yankees’ hierarchy had imagined ever since Gerrit Cole’s elbow underwent reconstructive surgery. It wasn’t rehab or physical therapy or even a simple game of catch.
No, this was a simulated war. Steinbrenner Field was empty and closed to the public. There was no opposing team in the third base dugout.
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Just one Yankees superstar against the other.
Cole’s fastball against Aaron Judge’s bat speed in the first real test of Cole’s progress from Tommy John surgery, which he had in March.
Friday morning’s results couldn’t have been more encouraging. Cole topped out at nearly 97 mph in an eight-pitch sequence. The fact that Judge managed just one hit – an opposite-field line drive single – said everything about the reunion that suddenly feels like it’s just around the corner.
“Gerrit looked great, I was excited to see him back on the mound,” Judge said after the workout. “His stuff is still electric ... it’s still pretty impressive.”
While the Yankees sent a scrub-heavy travel squad to Sarasota for the Grapefruit League opener against the Orioles, most of the veterans stayed back in Tampa.
And why not stay back? Carlos Rodon was smiling but not kidding when he said, “This is the better story right here. I’m sticking around to watch.”
Club officials announced Cole would take the mound on Field 1 – the main venue on game days – at 11:07 a.m. The build-up began when the stay-behind group started stretching at 10 a.m., working up to the first set of at-bats at 11 a.m.
It was Max Fried’s day to throw, although with far less drama. His fastball looked crisp, as did his change-up and slow, loopy curveball that drives hitters crazy.
Fried faced Judge, Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham before finally yielding to Cole. There was no small irony of the PA system’s choice of music.
“Magic” by Lil Skies accompanied Cole to the mound. What a perfect description of the scene that unfolded. A 35-year-old pitcher, less than 12 months removed from major surgery, delivering the ball like a much younger man.
Close your eyes and listen to the fastball detonating in the catcher’s glove, and you would’ve never known Cole had ever torn his UCL.
It wasn’t just velocity that caught Judge by surprise. It was Cole’s ability to work the corners and dot each quadrant of the strike zone. It’s like he’d never been away.
You don’t have to wonder how the Yankees reacted to Cole’s performance against Judge, Grisham and Jasson Dominguez. Cole was practically mobbed after finishing his one-inning, 18-pitch workday.
The Yankees were happy for Cole, but they were just excited about the future. Cole will be back at some point this summer – early June seems more realistic than ever – which allows the Bombers to think big.
“We’re not the same without (Cole) on the field, showing up every five days,” Judge said. “That’s where I got kind of mad, people harping on us that we’re running it back with the same team.
“It’s not the same team. We’re getting a Cy Young Award winner. So you have that at the top of the rotation, along with Max Fried, a 19-game winner … and a healthy Carlos Rodon.
“Like I told (the media), I like our chances. It’s going to be a special year.”
The Yankees have no idea how Cole will feel in the next 24-48 hours. While the club has taken every precaution with his elbow, the true test of Cole’s stamina will inevitably reveal itself after a night’s sleep.
Remember, there’s soreness and then there’s pain. The gulf between them is wide. One is normal for healthy pitchers. The other is a red flag, especially in the first year after surgery.
That’s why Aaron Boone wouldn’t commit to Cole’s next live batting practice session. The manager made the 90-minute drive to Sarasota and therefore didn’t watch Cole in person.
He instead relied on a report from pitching coach Matt Blake. Despite Cole’s effectiveness in that small sample size, Boone would only say Cole’s next steps are still to be determined.
The Yankees are playing it smart. Cole, after all, began and ended his session in one shot. While Fried had four “ups” – simulated between-inning cool-downs in the dugout – Cole was hardly ready to test the elbow more than once.
He instead scooped up his wife and kids, who were watching the session from behind home plate, and left the stadium soon after.
Along with Judge, Cole is the most articulate Yankee, almost always available to reporters. So maybe he’s waiting a day to issue an all-clear.
Fair enough. Cole has earned the right to set his own timetable. But on a day of hopeful signs, the most telling was displayed on the centerfield scoreboard.
That’s where the radar gun told a story of a big arm on the mend. The Yankees can’t bring themselves to say Cole is out of the woods – they don’t dare jinx it – but that 96.9-mph to Judge could only be interpreted one way.
I’m baa-aack.
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