![NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 19: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees pitches during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium on July 19, 2024 in New York City.](https://i2.wp.com/clicksportsnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Gerrit-Cole-Opens-Up-About-his-Performance-on-Friday.jpg?ssl=1)
After knocking some rust off in his first few starts of the season, New York Yankees Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole has started to round into form over his last two starts and dominated the Tampa Bay Rays by holding them to one run over six innings in Friday’s 6-1 victory to open the second half of the season.
The win moved Cole to 3-1 on the year and dropped his ERA to 4.60, and after the game, Cole shared his thoughts on the outing with the media.
When asked about his outing, Cole said “I had a little bit of everything working” and added “Once we got a lead, we started attacking the zone…I’d like to get those outs a little more efficiently, but for the most part, it was pretty good today.”
Cole struck out eight Rays and walked just one en route to surrendering just one run, which was the third time in his last four starts he was able to limit his opponent to a single run.
The Yankees have struggled mightily over the last six weeks or so, and a lot of those struggles have begun with the starting rotation as Carlos Rodon, Luis Gil, Marcus Stroman, and Nestor Cortes have all taken turns getting shelled after everyone started the season off on a hot streak.
Cole’s next scheduled start will be against the New York Mets, and he’ll be looking to get a little revenge after the Mets lit him up for four walks and four home runs en route to handing him his first loss of the season.