Cole strikes out nine in dominant intrasquad effort
Gerrit Cole has just one outing left before finally making his Yankees debut on Opening Day against the Nationals in Washington on July 23.
And if his effectiveness in Sunday’s simulated game in The Bronx was any indication, Cole seems to be in top form.
The $324 million righthander struck out nine in 5 2/3 shutout innings and allowed just four hits and a walk during an 84-pitch outing on a steamy afternoon at the Stadium.
He credited Gary Sanchez for keeping him in a good rhythm throughout the outing.
“It’s been nice to work with him the last couple times,’’ Cole said. “I thought we were on the same page a lot today. And the few times we weren’t, we discussed it between innings, which was helpful.”
Cole praised Sanchez’s work defensively, saying he “was sharp behind the plate, giving me nice targets, calling nice sequences. It’s helpful that he knows the other squad better than I do.”
Soon enough, Cole will face hitters from other teams, although whether that happens in his final tuneup of spring training 2.0 remains to be seen. He could pitch another simulated game or start one of the exhibition games prior to the season opener.
Aaron Boone said Cole was “crisper” Sunday than in his previous outing and expects the 29-year-old to go in another simulated game, so he’d have an extra day of rest heading into Opening Day — while also building up his pitch count. But the manager called the situation “fluid.”
Cole said he hasn’t thought about what he’d rather do.
But he isn’t simply showing off to his new teammates on the mound.
Cole arrived with a reputation as a student of pitching and he’s shared that with some of the Yankees’ young pitchers, including Mike King, who also pitched in Sunday’s sim game.
King said he was texting with Justin Dunn, a former Mets prospect who was traded to Seattle in the deal that brought Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz to the Mets. Dunn asked King if he’d learned anything from Cole.
“We’re totally opposite pitchers in that he’s got that top of the zone fastball with ride, his slider is so electric and mine is a work in progress,’’ King said. “The biggest thing he said was, ‘Don’t throw it on flat ground because it’s a totally different angle.’ I’ve definitely seen some strides in [the pitch].”
But the Yankees didn’t sign Cole to be a pitching coach — and he looked like an ace Sunday.
“I still don’t want to put the cart before the horse, but hopefully we can recover well this week and build off this next turn and be ready to go,’’ Cole said.
While Aaron Judge was held out of the Yankees’ simulated game for a second straight day with a stiff neck, Giancarlo Stanton said he’s making progress with his calf and feels good at the plate.
According to manager Aaron Boone, Judge got more treatment Sunday and was “still a little stiff.”
“It’s just something we don’t want to push at this point,’’ Boone said. “He’s gotten a lot of work and at-bats to this point. He’s doing a little better, but still stiff.”
Judge is coming back from a fractured rib that sidelined him in spring training, but he said he would be ready for Opening Day of the upcoming 60-game season, July 23 in Washington.
The Yankees don’t have a sim game Monday and Boone remains optimistic Judge will return Tuesday.
As for Stanton, he’ll open the year solely as a DH, but is working in the outfield during batting practice.
At the plate, he said he’s getting his timing down and is dealing with the oddities of spring training 2.0 as well as he can.
“It’s just a matter of, ‘Are you worried about everything else, the empty stadiumand no one here or are you trying to get better and locking in?’ ” Stanton said. “It’s a matter of handling distractions, even though in this case, nothing around would be a distraction.”
Asked if his experience playing in front of small crowds in Miami with the Marlins will be similar to a lack of fans this season, Stanton said: “It doesn’t matter if it’s a little. A little helps more than none. … At the end of the day, with hitting, it’s you and the pitcher. If you let anything get in the way of that, you’re not focused enough already.”
➤ Brett Gardner said he was “disappointed and concerned” for Aroldis Chapman in the wake of the closer’s positive test for coronavirus. Still, the outfielder has not altered his view of what lies ahead.
“It doesn’t affect the way I look at the season,’’ Gardner said. “Going into this, I think we’re all prepared for this kind of thing to happen. Hopefully, it doesn’t happen on a larger scale. I think we’ve been doing a great job keeping our distance and wearing masks inside all the time.”
➤ Boone said Masahiro Tanaka threw from 100 feet Sunday and “everything is going well” in his recovery from the concussion he suffered July 4, when he was hit in the head by a Stanton line drive.
But there is still no date set for when Tanaka might pitch again.
Clint Frazier, who has dealt with concussions in his career, said he hasn’t spoken to Tanaka since the injury, but offered this bit of advice on Sunday when asked: “It would be to be patient . ... It’s a hard injury to go through, especially if the people you’re talking to haven’t experienced it themselves. At times, it feels like you’re the only one who really knows what you’re going through, but other people do know. It’s a lonely feeling if it continues to go long.”
➤ Boone said Estevan Florial could have a role at some point this season, even though he’s never played above Class-A Tampa.
“We love [Florial],’’ Boone said. “He’s been robbed a little bit of his development with some of the injuries he’s run into and this year getting shut down. We still love the person, tools and potential.”