Awkward! Cole

Gerrit Cole watched quietly from the dugout Tuesday night as the small crowd at Yankee Stadium grew louder and louder, angrier and angrier, taunting and chastising his former teammates. The ace came over to the Yankees about a month before the Astros hitters were revealed to have cheated in 2017 — the year before Cole was traded to Houston by the Pirates.

Cole has insisted he knew nothing about the system the Astros used to electronically steal signs and relay them in real-time to hitters. Tuesday night, he said it was an “emotional night for everyone.” The fans, who did not see the Astros last year after the report revealed what most in baseball had long suspected, let loose with vulgar chants and boos. They stood up for every Astros at-bat, cheering every out and singling out Jose Altuve, who edged out Aaron Judge for the MVP in 2017, for nonstop abuse.

“The fans have their emotions