In 2008, during his senior year at Lutheran High School in Orange, California, he went 8-2 with a 0.47 ERA, striking out 121 hitters in 75 innings, walking only 8. Then he committed to UCLA.

In 2008, the Yankees chose Gerrit in the first round, out of high school. But Cole did not sign, going to UCLA instead.

GREW UP A YANKEE FAN

Cole grew up a Yankees fan because his Dad was from upstate New York. But Gerrit grew up in Southern California.

"I went to Angels games all the time,” he said. “I took a lot of flak, especially when the Angels beat the Yankees in the playoffs (in 2002).”

In 2001, a photo that ran in the Newark Star-Ledger showed an 11-year-old Cole at the World Series holding a sign that read, "Yankee Fan Today, Tomorrow, Forever."

He explained that his father grew up in Syracuse, N.Y., a Yankees fan "and he kind of passed it down." So Cole and his father went to the World Series games at Arizona in 2001, hanging out in the lobby of the Yankees' hotel and gawking at the players. Gerrit says his favorite all-time players are Lou Gehrig and Mariano Rivera.

Despite growing up a Yankee fan, Cole did not think twice about spurning the Yankees. Instead, he went to UCLA and spent three springs pitching for the Bruins, helping them go to the College World Series last season and winning the Pacific-10 Conference title this year.

"I wasn't expecting to be taken in the first round and the Yankees really handled it with class when I said no to them," Cole said. "I knew and my family knew that I wasn't ready for professional baseball. I wanted to go to college. It just wasn't time."

During his three seasons at UCLA, Cole went 21-20 with a 3.38 ERA in 50 games. The statistics might not have been overwhelming, but Cole's stock only rose with scouts as his fastball reached 100 mph this spring to go with a hard slider and a developing changeup.  (John Perrotto-Beaver County Times-6/7/11)

In June 2011, Cole was only hours away from becoming the first pick in the MLB draft when he got a text from a friend.

Yankees vice president of scouting Damon Oppenheimer was checking in to wish the UCLA righthander good luck before he was selected by the Pirates.

It says a lot about Oppenheimer that he stays in touch with Cole. It also says a lot about Cole because he and his family respectfully declined to negotiate with Oppenheimer for three years after the Yankees selected the hard thrower in the first round of the 2008 draft, following his senior year at Lutheran High School in Orange, California.

In 2012 and 2013, Baseball America rated Cole as the #1 prospect in the Pirates' organization.

In July 2012, Cole had an interesting first two starts at Double-A for the Altoona Curve (EL-Pirates). The lights went out at Peoples Gas Park in Altoona in Cole's first game with the Curve, causing a delay. In his next outing, he was hit in the neck by a line drive, though he sustained no injury beyond a bruise.

Gerrit said that playing pro ball has not been that easy. "It's a different game than college," Cole said in 2012. "The speed of the game is faster. The hitters are better. The competition is better. The biggest adjustment has been to see how my pitches work in a different environment, facing professional hitters with wood bats. It's still a learning process."

One thing that hasn't changed about Cole from his college days is his almost split personality. Off the field, the 6-foot-6 Cole is quite genial. When he's pitching, though, he stomps around the mound with a scowl on his face and is as intimidating as his size would suggest.

"I'm a competitor and I think everyone who makes it to professional baseball is a competitor," he said. "That's what drives you to make it this far. You have to love the competition and you don't get better competition than in pro ball."

BASEBALL BROTHER-IN-LAW

August 22, 2015: With the two teams locked in a battle for a Wild Card spot, the Giants-Pirates game  was a big one for both Pittsburgh starter Gerrit Cole and San Francisco shortstop Brandon Crawford. But it was also an important game for Amy Crawford, Brandon's sister and Cole's fiancé. She was in attendance at PNC Park, and had to watch blood and beau collide.  

Ever the protective brother, Brandon attempted to send Cole a warning early, blasting a pitch deep to left field. Thankfully, though, cooler heads/the awesomeness of Starling Marte prevailed, and the baseball was caught at the fence. Cole answered by striking out Crawford in his next two at-bats, and Pittsburgh ended up getting the win on a Marte walk-off. We can only hope this won't spill over to the wedding.  (Chris Landers)

November 12, 2016: Cole married Brandon Crawford's sister, Amy.

2018: When brothers-in law Brandon Crawford and Gerrit Cole face each other, it's fun to talk about.

"It's more fun for family, I think, than it is for us," Crawford said. "It doesn't help that he's a really good pitcher—probably one of the best in baseball this year. That doesn't add to the fun of it for me."

Still, it must be strange for Cole to look to home plate and see someone [his wife's brother] so important to him on a personal level, and be tasked with making sure that person has a bad experience at the plate.

Is it weird? "I've been asked that question for like five years now, and I can't really come up with a word that kind of encapsulates," Cole said. "I think it's probably hard for both of us to block out the idea. I root for him, he roots for me and now we're not rooting for each other anymore. Amy [his wife] certainly gets put in a little bit of a predicament as well."

Ah, yes. So what does Amy do when her husband is on the mound, pitching to her brother?  "I don't know what she tells him, but she tells me that she roots for me to get a hit but not drive anybody in, and for him to win," Crawford said.

That's pretty much Cole's understanding as well.  "She's rooting for the most positive outcome for each of us that doesn't have an effect on the game," Cole said. "She wants us both to do well, but not really at the expense of each other."  (Footer - mlb.com - 5/21/18)

MEETS VIN SCULLY

Childhood dreams rarely pan out so perfectly. When asked what was the best part of his Dodger Stadium experience, Cole had a quick response: It was still to come.

"Vin Scully calling the game, that's something I'll definitely go and watch and hear what stories he's got on me, then wonder how the heck he got them," said Cole, who, as any Southern Californian baseball fan of the last 57 years, grew up listening to the incomparable Scully.

Told of Cole's homage to him, Scully said, "That's tremendous. How nice of him to say that. You can tell him I told the story about him holding up a sign as an 11-year-old at the 2001 World Series that read, 'Yankees fan today, tomorrow, forever.' "

For Cole, the only thing better than having Scully describe his win would have been a chance to meet the man. But Scully's work this series is getting curtailed by games being broadcast on network TV.

"Maybe next time," Cole said, smiling. "I'll be around here again."  (May 30, 2014 - Tom Singer MLB.com)

Gerrit is rarely star-struck. He'd only been nervous before meeting two people: Nolan Ryan and Derek Jeter. He added a third name to that list in August 2016: Vin Scully.

Cole, who grew up watching Dodgers and Angels games in Southern California, stepped into the press-level booth at Dodger Stadium and chatted with Scully, the legendary baseball broadcaster in his 67th and final season on the job.

"I didn't really even know what to say," Cole said. "I had a few questions prepared, but I felt like they were really standard, vanilla questions that everybody asks. Just that voice. You grow up listening to it.  When you turned to the Dodgers game, it was the big leagues because Vin was doing it. There was just something about it. Nobody talked. Everybody listened when the TV was on and we were watching the Dodgers game."  

Cole spoke with reverence about Scully's style and stories. He was dumbfounded when Scully—a man who narrated Jackie Robinson's story, Kirk Gibson's home run, and countless other historical baseball moments—said he enjoyed watching the "local boy" Cole.

"He was really looking forward to watching me play this series because he remembered me," Cole said. "I was like, 'What the ... come on.'"  They had never met. But Scully had been a part of Cole's life long before their meeting.  "I feel like I know him, right?" Cole said.

Even today, the California kid still falls asleep listening to the Hall of Famer's Dodgers broadcasts. "I told him that," Cole said. "He was like, 'Yeah, I get it all the time; people used to tell me in the 1950s they'd put the transistor radio underneath their pillow and fall asleep. My contribution to the world is helping cure insomnia.'"  (Berry - MLB.com - 8/14/16)

Leadership Role:  When Jameson Taillon arrives at the ballpark each day, he looks forward to hearing from Gerrit Cole. It's a form of entertainment, part master class and part guessing game.

One day, Taillon said, Cole will be breaking down his baserunning. The next day, he's focusing on his bunting form. Then it's the shape of his breaking ball, his changeup, how he takes the ball out of his glove, everything down to the way he puts his hand into his glove.

"He's a smart dude. He's very analytical," Taillon said. "He's a thinker. There's always something going on in his brain."  (Adam Berry - MLB.com - March 22, 2017)

Nickname: "Cole Train."  Where did that come from? Shortly after his Major League debut in 2013, Cole was approached by Tom Singer, the Pirates beat reporter for MLB.com from 2012-2015 who passed away suddenly in 2016.

Singer was the clever mind behind Francisco Rodriguez's ubiquitous "K-Rod" moniker, and he wanted to run a nickname by Cole, the former No. 1 overall pick out of Singer's beloved UCLA. How did Gerrit feel about Cole Train? Cole gave his blessing, and Singer kept writing it until it picked up steam.

COLLEGE TEAMMATES WITH BAUER

May 27, 2018: For the past few weeks, you could see something special "Bruin." When Trevor Bauer used his Twitter account to insinuate—purposely or otherwise—that his former UCLA teammate Gerrit Cole and other Astros pitchers were using pine tar to improve their spin rates, you didn't have to look too deep into the schedule to see the potential for a Bauer vs. Houston or even a Bauer vs. Cole matchup. And because it wasn't exactly a state secret that Bauer and Cole, who have never faced each other, weren't exactly buddy-buddy in their Bruins days, that was a tantalizing proposition.

Finally it arrives: Bauer vs. Cole at 1:10 p.m. ET in the finale of a four-game set at Progressive Field. It is more than just a pairing of pitchers rising to the ranks of the elite on clubs that might be bound for an October affair (although that would be enticing enough). It is a matchup that places national attention on the strained relationship between these former collegiate co-aces and the UCLA program that they once elevated. "They were program changers, both of them," UCLA coach John Savage said. "I know UCLA is very proud of them and excited not only for now, but for their bright future."

Ah, but what of the past? It's all anybody has seemed to want to talk about from the day earlier this week that it became certain that the probable pitchers had properly aligned. Specifically, there was a USA Today story that exaggeratedly claimed the two won't speak about each other or even look at each other.

"I talked to him at the [UCLA] alumni game this year and had a pleasant conversation about arbitration and what he was thinking for his number and my number, and stuff like that," Bauer said. "It was pleasant. I didn't sense any animosity on either end. So, yeah, it's a storyline. I get it. It's fun to write about, because you can play up the controversy and you can get a headline to click on, or whatever."

Cole wasn't as direct in speaking about the relationship between the two, but he noted that this is consecutive starts for him that have a bit of a personal touch, for better or worse. "I had enough to worry about [last start] against the Giants with my brother-in-law [Brandon Crawford] in that game," Cole said. "But obviously, playing the Indians, I'll treat it like any other start or opponent. I'm fortunate to lock up against a fantastic pitcher, so you know you're going to have to be on your game."

Just a week ahead of the draft, Cole and Bauer are reminders that the pitching path, in particular, is not always linear, but elite arms who put in the work, stay healthy and adapt along the way can do big things in the game. Bauer and Cole, who went number 1 and number 3 overall in the draft, publicly express respect toward each other for putting it all together in 2018. That doesn't mean they've become pals. Hardly. After the Twitter flap, the Astros, in general, aren't big fans of Bauer, though Cole addressed that issue as diplomatically as he could. "It would be irresponsible for me to comment on somebody else's opinions," Cole said.

Even when explaining he has "nothing against Gerrit," Bauer brought up an old wound. "We had a rocky relationship in college, because he told me I had no future in baseball, and he insulted my work ethic," Bauer said. "Those are two things I don't take kindly to."

One reason this issue draws so much attention is that the game is relatively short on genuine strife between rival players. MLB might have a rule against fraternization between opposing players in uniform, but co-mingling is commonplace during pregame batting practice. So, yeah, there's something kind of fun about a little healthy discord. But how rocky was it, anyway?

"Hate is a strong word, and I don't think it's the right word in this scenario," Savage said. "At the end of the day, they were both Bruins. They respected each other, and the program. They wanted to get to the College World Series, and they knew they needed each other in many ways. I think they both were motivated by each other."

If that's the case, it worked. Bauer skipped his senior year of high school to enroll early at UCLA. Cole passed up the opportunity to sign with the Yankees for around $4 million as a first-round draft pick to go to college. Together, they pitched for a UCLA program that had struggled to attain traction in the College World Series all the way to the National Championship Series, where they were runners-up in 2010. "Cole was our Friday guy, Bauer was our Saturday guy, and Adam Plutko was our Sunday guy," Savage said, "so it was a pretty good chance we were going to win that series each week."

Plutko, who was a freshman when Bauer and Cole were juniors, is now a rookie in the Tribe rotation. As in his early UCLA days, he'll have one of the best seats in the house watching Bauer and Cole do their thing. "They did it in completely different ways," said Plutko, who was on the 2013 UCLA team that won the school's first national championship. "Gerrit was up to 102 mph some games in college, and then Trevor would go out there and punch out 16. And that was the weekend."

Whatever their personal history, Bauer and Cole both agree this is an awesome moment for UCLA baseball and a reminder of what they once accomplished together. "It was a special time," Cole said. "It was historic, and really, we were just really competitive as a team and wanted to take the program to the next level. We were fortunate to do that. [Bauer] was such a special talent that junior year. That curveball, what he did that year, I don't know if it can be replicated. So this is great recognition for the program and for Coach Savage."

Added Bauer: "For the tapestry of our lives, whether we want to be or not, we're intertwined." (A Castrovince - MLB.com - May 27, 2018)

Astros manager AJ Hinch said removing Cole from any game was among the most difficult things he'd done. He recalled a game in Oakland when he walked to the mound and wanted the baseball, explaining that he liked a certain relief pitcher's breaking pitch against the hitter in the on-deck circle.

"I got this," Cole said.

Hinch returned to the dugout and watched Cole strike out the hitter on a curveball. When Cole stepped into the dugout after the inning, he said something like, "I've got a curveball, too."

Some will question the wisdom of giving a 29-year-old pitcher a nine-year contract. So yes, there's risk. But what the Yankees also just did was put the best pitcher in baseball atop their rotation and position themselves to win their first World Series since 2009.

Cole had said that the No. 1 thing he was seeking in free agency was a chance to win. Yes, he got $324 million. But he's that rare athlete at the pinnacle of his career, and because of that, he could probably have dictated the terms of his deal. When all was said and done, the Yankees convinced him that this was the right place and the right time.  (R Justice - MLB.com - Dec 10, 2019)

Dec 30, 2019: When the Yankees were internally discussing the astronomical dollar figures that would eventually convince Gerrit Cole to select the pinstripes for 2020 and beyond, managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said that he identified the standout pitcher as “a game-changer” who would help the franchise scale the mountain in its pursuit of a 28th World Series championship.

Steinbrenner and the Yankees are convinced that adding Cole to the group that produced 103 regular-season victories will produce a different outcome in October, where the Bombers have had their runs ended by the Astros twice in the past three years. Recent celebratory tweets from New York stars like Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres only serve to underscore how Cole has added to the Yanks’ surging confidence.

“I think there's no doubt we've got an excellent core,” Steinbrenner said. “We didn't make it all the way last year, didn't get the ultimate job done, but we had a great season. There's going to be more to come and, yes, we have an incredible team right here right now. Clearly, I felt that it was time to strike and really get that final big piece that can make a difference.”

Gerrit has to stay loose while waiting for baseball to resume, just like everyone else [during the coronavirus time]. So how does the hard-throwing right-hander do it? He's got a partner to play catch with, and it happens to be his partner in life, too.

Gerrit's wife, Amy, tossed the baseball around with him on March 21, 2020, and it was filmed by manager Aaron Boone; it was clear Gerrit isn't the only one of them with a great arm.

“I had to do something, so I figured I’d film them,” Boone said. The Yankees skipper had paid a visit to his ace righthander’s new home that afternoon. “They’re a pretty athletic duo, going at it there on the front lawn.” 

Amy has baseball in the blood. Not only is her husband a star in the Major Leagues, but her brother is Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford. Amy also played softball at UCLA, which is where she met Gerrit. Not surprisingly, she was also a pitcher. In 2010, Amy helped the Bruins win the Women's College World Series.  (Randhawa - mlb.com - 3/23/2020)

WINE CONNOISSEUR

Cole said that his passion for fine wines began at home; his father, Mark, recently became a certified sommelier and his mother, Sharon, would frequently host big Italian dinners each week.

“My parents always had a glass of wine with dinner,” Cole said. “My dad would have my sister Erin and I cook with him on the weekends; we'd make some bigger meals. He was always into pairing wines and stuff. When I signed, I built them a wine room off the house and kind of accelerated his passion from there. I think the history of it is really fascinating in the sense that it's just grape juice, and we've been doing it for thousands of years.”

Though Cole classifies it as a hobby, he clearly knows his stuff, rattling off the world’s prestigious wine-making regions like they were names in an opposing lineup. On several occasions during Spring Training, Cole visited a popular wine store about two miles from Steinbrenner Field, relaxing by searching for favored labels and years to add to his collection.

“I've gotten to know a good handful of producers,” Cole said. “As technical as you can get with some of the ways we can grow grapes, especially in the U.S., some of the best wines in the world are still made by the hands of small organic farmers in the middle of Burgundy or in the middle of Bordeaux. It’s always a good topic of conversation. We're always looking for something else to talk about other than just baseball.”

For example, Cole said that he calls upon retired first baseman Justin Morneau for choices from California’s Napa Valley and French wines, adding that Astros pitcher Zack Greinke opened his eyes to Burgundy and pinot noir. The Pirates’ Jameson Taillon has been known to swap recommendations for daily drinkers, and Cole said that Yankees pitcher J.A. Happ expressed interest this spring.

“It’s kind of a community; we all share ideas, and everybody usually asks me what my dad's opinion is, because he's versed in everything,” Cole said.

As Cole continues to uncork fastballs in the front yard of his Connecticut home, waiting for the opportunity to throw his first regular-season pitch in a Yankees uniform, he said that the Yankees’ December gift remains unopened. Amy is pregnant with the couple’s first child, and Cole promised to keep the Masseto sealed until they can savor it together.  (Bryan Hoch - April 15, 2020)

July 31, 2020: A voice very familiar to Yankees fans sang the national anthem before the home opener against the Red Sox.

Suzyn Waldman, the Yankees trailblazing radio color analyst, was behind the microphone in a different capacity. It’s actually not the first time Waldman has performed the national anthem. She’s performed at several previous Yankees home games and at other ballparks around MLB. But this night was different for a couple reasons.

First, she was required to perform from the radio booth since she does not have access to the field due to MLB’s health and safety protocols. Second, the request for Waldman to sing was made by a Yankees player, not the organization, and it was nearly a decade in the making.

That player? Gerrit Cole.

According to NJ.com’s Randy Miller, the request goes back nine years to when Cole was just starting his professional career with the Pirates.

This all was set in motion in 2008 when the Yankees picked Cole in the first round of the draft and his personality impressed Waldman during a media conference call. Cole ended up not signing with the Yanks to attend college, then joined the Pirates organization after being picked first overall as a UCLA junior in 2011. The next spring, Cole was a non-roster invitee to Pirates spring training in Bradenton, Fla., and it was there that he was approached by Waldman prior to a Yankees-Bucs Grapefruit League game.

“You’re going to make a great Yankee when you get to be a free agent,” Waldman told Cole.

A Yankees fan as a kid even though he grew up in Southern California, Cole knew that Waldman had performed on Broadway, so he responded, “If I do, you have to sing the national anthem on Opening Day.”

Though no official promise was made, Cole, who grew up a Yankees fan, made the moment possible when he inked a free-agent deal with the Yankees, just as Waldman had predicted. Cole's request became a reality and Waldman’s performance left those listening in awe.

Once teammates during their high school careers, Gerrit Cole and catcher Kyle Higashioka have reunited on baseball’s biggest stage with the Yankees.

“It's been fun to throw to Kyle; I was throwing to Kyle when I was like 13 or 14."

Long before they were granted entry to big league clubhouses, Cole and Higashioka took the field together as members of an Angels scout team in Orange County. Cole attended Orange Lutheran High in Orange, Calif., while Higashioka took classes at nearby Edison High in Huntington Beach, Calif. Cole and Higashioka played together on a squad that also carried an outfielder from Long Beach, Calif. a kid named Aaron Hicks.

“We've actually known each other for a while,” Higashioka said. “In the beginning, it was just cool to see a familiar face. I think we have a pretty good understanding of how each other likes to attack the hitters. I think it's just a constant dialogue that helps us be on the same page.” 

Spring Training 2021: “Gerrit isn’t one of the best pitchers in baseball just because of his stuff,” his former manager with the Astros, Brad Hinch said. “That’s the easy thing to evaluate. Gerrit is elite because of his mindfulness to every detail.  His understanding of the game is extraordinary.

July 2021: Cole was chosen to pitch in the All-Star Game.

April 2023: The 32-year-old right-hander who captured his 134th victory with a 10-strikeout shutout of the Twins on April 16.

“If there’s one statistic that I like, it’s wins,” Cole said. “Because it takes everybody in the room to produce that win. Especially because I can’t hit anymore, so somebody’s got to score for me. The best part about the wins is that it takes great coaching. It takes great game-planning. It takes great catching. It takes great offense. It takes great defense."

If Cole maintains his current trajectory, he should approach 200 in four or five seasons. He has never won a Cy Young Award. But he has accumulated far more victories than others who have picked up that particular piece of hardware, like Jacob deGrom (83 wins), Robbie Ray (74) and Corbin Burnes (37). His reliability stems from his durability.

Cole has thrown 896 innings since 2018, more than any other pitcher. Cole has made at least 30 starts in every full season dating back to 2017. He tallied at least 200 innings in all but one of those years. At UCLA, where Cole starred for three seasons before becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft, coach John Savage pushed a simple mantra for his starters: If you outlast the opposing pitcher, you have a better chance of getting the victory.

Cole boasts an additional distinction. His .653 career winning percentage ranked third among active pitchers, behind Kershaw (.694, the fifth-best mark in baseball history) and Scherzer (.663), but just ahead of Verlander (.647).

In the early weeks of April, Cole looks primed for one of the best seasons of his career. He has started four times. He has won all four starts. He has yet to permit a home run, which plagued him in the past. His ERA sits at 0.95. Cole credited his awareness, honed over more than a decade in the majors, for his recent output.

“I’m just trying to meet the demand of the situation,” he said. “Sometimes it’s making a down-and-away pitch. Sometimes it’s making an up-and-in pitch. Just put the ball where it needs to be.”

As Cole spoke, a totem of his success sat on the top shelf of his locker. It is a championship belt, similar to the one hoisted by professional wrestlers, only the straps are white and the emblem at the center is a Yankees logo. The team awards it to a player of the game. Cole still held the title after Sunday’s shutout. It signified, above all else, that the last time he pitched, he completed the assignment that matters most. The Yankees won. (McCullough - Apr 19, 2023 - The Athletic)

May 23, 2023: History was crafted in the second inning at Yankee Stadium as Gerrit Cole registered his 2,000th career strikeout, the third-fastest pitcher in AL/NL history to reach the milestone.  He was pitching in his 278th career game; only Randy Johnson (262 games) and Clayton Kershaw (277 games) reached 2,000 strikeouts faster in terms of games pitched. (B Hoch - MLB.com - May 24, 2023)

July 2023: Cole represented the Yankees at the All-Star Game. And he was the starting pitcher.

Cole, who has 143 career victories and just turned 33, will likely be the next to reach 200.

That will probably be the last round number that Cole — or any other pitcher from his generation — can realistically achieve. When Wainwright was born, in 1981, there were six active pitchers who would earn more than 300 wins. If Verlander (255 at age 40) gets there, he will probably be the last. As a developing pitcher, Cole said, he heard a version of the advice Adam Wainwright got from the veteran Woody Williams: If you want to win, you need to pitch at least seven innings. To Cole, 200 wins signify that a pitcher accepted the responsibility to work deep, a trait he’s embodied in New York. 

Cole continued: “It’s quality over quantity, and I think people are trying to find a balance of making sure guys don’t throw too much quantity at expense of their quality. They’re trying to find the most efficient number.

“I talked to a starting pitcher that’s been in the league for a long time not too long ago. We’ve known each other for a long time, and I just asked him, ‘Are you probably going to try to settle at 175 or 180?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, I could be out there for 200, but with the risk of injury and the fatigue factor, it’s too much load for me.’ (Kepner - Sep 20, 2023- The Athletic)

Oct 2023: Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole was voted Baseball Digest MLB Pitcher of the Year. 

Cole put together the best season of his storied 11-year MLB career, recording an AL-best 2.63 ERA while also leading the junior circuit in innings (209) and ERA+ (165) and ranking third in strikeouts (222). His 2.63 ERA marked the lowest by a qualified Yankee since Rudy May recorded a 2.46 ERA in 41 games (17 starts) in 1980.

Cole had six starts of at least seven innings, and became the 12th active pitcher to make 300 career starts when he tossed a shutout against the Blue Jays in his final outing of the season. He’s the first Yankee to be named MLB Pitcher of the Year by Baseball Digest. (H Palattella - MLB.com - Oct 3, 2023)

Nov 16, 2023: If you ask Gerrit how he took his game to another level in 2023, becoming the first Yankee to win the AL Cy Young since Roger Clemens in 2001, he points to a relentless pursuit of perfection.

Cole said his mindset all season was to attack hitters and force contact from the game's first pitch, but he didn’t do it alone. Cole had some help in pinstripes, including from a couple of Yankees legends in Ron Guidry and Andy Pettitte.

“I think it started in Spring Training, being curious as to how to improve off of last year,” Cole said. “It started with talking with Ron in Spring Training about using the whole strike zone and with Andy, even dating a little bit back to the previous season, just hounding me about changing speeds with the curveball to slow guys down. “But then on the daily grind, [pitching coach] Matt [Blake] was there every day. Trevi [catcher Jose Trevino] was there every day, whether he’s playing or not. Benny [Rortvedt] is there every day. We’re in the flow of the game, in the flow of the series. I think everybody contributed in some kind of unique way.”

Cole unanimously claimed his first Cy Young Award, beating out fellow AL finalists Sonny Gray (Twins) and Kevin Gausman (Blue Jays). He’s the sixth Yankee to win a Cy Young Award, joining Bob Turley (1958), Whitey Ford ('61), Sparky Lyle ('77), Ron Guidry ('78), and Clemens (2001). Of that group, only Cole and Guidry won unanimously.

Cole and Ron Guidry struck up a friendship upon the former’s arrival in the Bronx in 2020. This spring, Guidry encouraged Cole to prioritize contact over strikeouts — an essential ingredient in the hurler’s success. Cole said he treasures his connection with “Louisiana Lightning.”

“I think it’s fitting,” Cole said. “Ron has helped me out a lot, getting me acclimated to the pressures and the role and the organization. He was a great Yankee, a captain, accolades up and down. He continues to represent the organization in that first-class way whenever he comes around, and he’s a great example for all of us. It’s very special; it’s a tremendous honor, and I’ve tried to make him proud.” 

The 33-year-old Cole went 15-4 with a 2.63 ERA and 222 strikeouts in 33 starts in 2023. His ERA was the lowest in the AL and the second lowest in the Majors, trailing only the Padres’ Blake Snell (2.25), who took home the NL Cy Young Award. Hardly satisfied, Cole is already thinking about ways to improve his performance in 2024.

“I want to refine a little bit of the command with some of the off-speed pitches,” Cole said. “I think that’s really evident when the curveball is working well on the edge of the plate, that it adds another element of timing to the approach. The cutter being something that was a regular presence for two-thirds of the year, that’s just in the infant stages of being developed, to a certain extent.

“We used it this year, and it was unpredictable and surprising; the break is obviously a different break from the slider and the fastball. I think the next step there is going to be the command. We want to use it, ultimately, to both sides of the plate just like we use all the other pitches up and down as well.” (B Hoch - MLB.com - Nov 16, 2023) 

After Nestor Cortes was finished pitching, injured ace Gerrit Cole pulled the lefty aside in the dugout to discuss his start. Cole, who YES Network’s Michael Kay referred to as the “Yankees’ extra pitching coach” during the broadcast, even covered his mouth at points in case any TV cameras were catching the conversation.

“He has a different view of the game from the pitching coaches because he’s done it for so long,” Cortes said. “He’s more about in-game insights than game planning. Maybe he’ll see something during a first at-bat or a second at-bat — what can you do to make it better now or to face the guy better a third time around?” 

“I enjoy sharing the blessing,” Cole said, “sharing the wealth of information that I’ve been given and I like to see my teammates succeed.”

He’s done it again and again.

“That’s who he is,” manager Aaron Boone said. Cole has found so many ways to help the Yankees even when he hasn’t been able to throw a single pitch. 

And there’s hardly a day that Schmidt doesn’t pick Cole’s brain as he tries to live up to his promise as a 2017 first-round pick. Schmidt credits Cole for helping him with everything except tying his cleats. Cole has coached Schmidt on how to remain poised on the mound in tense spots, how to read swings, how to spot a hitter’s gameplay against him and so much more.

“I feel like I’ve learned more in the past year than I ever have in my career,” Schmidt said of being around Cole. 

A rotation missing Cole, its biggest weapon, has hardly faltered, and Cole’s presence has made a big impact.

“It’s amazing when you have the best pitcher in baseball kind of serving as your hype man and a coach when you come back to the dugout,” Marcus Stroman said. 

Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake is in awe of what he called Cole’s “care factor.”

“For someone who is as talented as he is and for the status he has,” Blake said, “he doesn’t need to do it. He understands the value of what good clubhouses look like and how important it is to bring guys along.” 

Cortes offered Cole the ultimate compliment.

“Something I respect about you,” he told Cole,“is that you’re making so much money and you’re still acting like you’re not.”  (Kuty - Apr 10, 2024 - The Athletic)

July 23, 2024: Before facing the Mets in the Subway Series, Yankees ace Gerrit Cole had a chat with MLB.com and answered a wide range of topics, from the biggest thing he learned while being sidelined with a right elbow injury to his oldest son, Caden, getting attention on TV.

MLB.com: You have reached the six-inning plateau in your last two starts. What is the goal the rest of the way from a pitching standpoint?

Gerrit Cole: Get deeper in the game. I have to be more efficient. There are opportunities to get outs quicker. In this game, sometimes you get one shot to execute a pitch. If you don’t, it takes two or three more pitches to get the job done. So being crisp with every opportunity the game presents you is what ultimately allows you to get deeper in the game.

MLB.com: The one thing I noticed about you is, you are very hard on yourself. Why? You are not going to be perfect all the time.

Cole: I think it’s just part of my drive. I do work on not being quite as hard on myself, I will say that. I give myself some grace from time to time. It is part of what I enjoy, striving to be as good as possible. It’s part of who I am. 

MLB.com: With you being back on the mound, we also get to see your son, Caden, on TV when the Yankees are at home. How good is it to see him back in the spotlight?

Cole: He loves coming to games. He is very happy that I’m back. But, to be honest, he was happy I was home a lot, too, while I was rehabbing [my elbow]. Leaving for the first couple of road trips was kind of a change for both of the boys’ worlds for a little bit. They got used to the way of life for a few months there. But in the end, Caden loves coming to games. He loves seeing Volp [Anthony Volpe], [Aaron] Judge and all the players really. He is thrilled. 

MLB.com: Caden is 4 years old. He is bright. I saw him on TV singing “God Bless America.”

Cole: It’s one of his favorite songs along with the national anthem. When he comes to games, it’s an impactful moment where everybody stands and a lot of people around him are singing. I think, probably initially, he just wanted to fit in. But he genuinely loves the songs. He sings the songs at home, and he knows the words. Sometimes, for a lullaby, he will ask for “God Bless America” instead of “Rockabye Baby” or “Brahms' Lullaby.” He enjoys the songs. He likes singing. He wears a full uniform, so he takes his hat off and puts it over his heart. 

MLB.com: What has impressed you the most about him?

Cole: His emotional intelligence is really high. He seems to be able to get along with kids younger and older than him. When he comes into the locker room, he is respectful of the guys. It makes him comfortable dealing with a lot of things.

My mom has told me he is more emotionally intelligent than I was at that age. He is wonderful to travel with. He is very helpful to his mom with the little bro. Those are probably the most impressive qualities.

MLB.com: I noticed you are a little emotional when you talk about Caden. I see the welling in your eyes.

Cole: Yeah, I love him. That’s my guy. 

MLB.com: Can you talk baseball lingo with him?

Cole: My wife spends more time watching baseball games with him than I do. To be honest, most of his baseball lingo comes from her. She is proficient, obviously, with her brother [Brandon Crawford] being in the Major Leagues for 14 years and her playing softball [at UCLA]. She does most of the education. If he says anything about baseball, it comes from his mom. 

MLB.com: When you were out for those 2 1/2 months, what did you miss the most about the game of baseball?

Cole: I think just playing and the team camaraderie -- being in the flow of the season and feeling like you are contributing. That’s probably what I missed the most. 

MLB.com: What did you learn about yourself during the period you were on the injured list?

Cole: I came to the field often with a different perspective than I normally had in years past. When the club came back from the road, I was removed from the highs and lows of winning [and losing]. I was waking up at 10 a.m. doing rehab, putting kids in bed, and things like that. So I came in with a fresh perspective than I normally would when I was playing all the time and you are in the thick of it.

It was more important for me to relax for recovery. In that sense, taking that mindset and watching some of our great players -- I’m not going to say taking it for granted, but it was like, today, I got to watch Aaron hit from 25 feet away, then Juan [Soto] and big G [Giancarlo Stanton]. Then I have my rotation mates -- my five guys -- asking me for help. They are making me feel like I’m contributing. I learned I need to keep that perspective a little more often while I’m in the cycle of pitching and getting ready for the next game and feeling the emotions of the wins and losses. There is an appropriate time to be relaxed and just enjoy what you are doing and where your feet are. I think it has a positive effect on other people, too. 

MLB.com: Everyone was talking about how you were coaching your teammates, especially the pitchers. After your playing career is over, do you want to coach?

Cole: I want to coach my kids. I don’t know if I want to coach in the Major Leagues. It’s a lot of travel. I miss my kids a lot already. I’m not really trying to coach. I’m trying to be a sounding board or just be another resource. Like I said, I have this wealth of experience and I can recall situations and different viewings, how I’ve navigated those things successfully and how I failed. If there is something that could be helpful to somebody else, regardless if it’s a pitcher or anybody else, I want to make sure that people feel that the ability to communicate with me on those types of things are there. Some of it is solicited. Some of it is unsolicited.

Our coach at UCLA always talked about how good teams communicate. Good teams have each other’s back and they are always on the same page. I try to take that throughout my entire career. I just had nothing else to do for 2 1/2 months but just talk. I’m very glad to be throwing and throwing more [now]. So the talking and throwing ratio has balanced out.

MLB.com: How good are the Yankees and how far can they go in the postseason?

Cole: I think we are one of the top teams in the league. Inside of this room, we are a little more bullish, but we are very respectful of some of the other great teams out there. I think we deserve to be in that boxing ring with them. I think we can take it as far as we want to take it. We have great players in the middle of the lineup. Our rotation has been healthy and solid all year. We have obviously struggled. Learning from those struggles, I think it’s going to be key to how far we can take it. I think our destiny is in our hands.

MLB.com: You grew up a Yankees fan. Is it everything you thought it would be in your five years with the club?

Cole: It’s a special place to play. I think the Steinbrenner family surrounds us with the best resources in the league. Every year, we are pushing to compete. We are pushing to put the best product on the field. Even last year, we didn’t want to finish under .500. I know it wasn’t anywhere near what our goal was. But we are not OK with quitting.

The standard that the fans have set and the energy that they bring, it’s on another level compared to everything else. As a player, once we get used to it, you become really grateful and thankful for it, because you go to other places and you see your fans show up and you see the other team’s fans and you wonder what this environment is like when they are not playing a good team.

How blessed are we to come to Yankee Stadium and go on the road and have people surround us and love us? It’s a very special experience. Humbling when you think about it in the perspective of all the great players and all the numbers retired and all the dynasties that have come through here. To be affiliated with that is special. (B Ladson - MLB.com - July 23, 2024) 

Gerrit and Amy Cole have been together a long time.

He was a star pitcher for UCLA, a future No. 1 overall pick in the MLB Draft for the Pirates. She played softball for the Bruins on a team that won the Women’s College World Series. 

They became friends while sharing the weight room at 6:00 a.m., but it was a pair of kind gestures that led to their relationship. “I was moving into my new apartment and Gerrit drove an hour and a half after a wedding just to help me move.  My mom was there with me, and he showed up with a bouquet of flowers for her birthday,” reveals Amy. “That’s the day I decided to take him up on that first-date offer from the year prior.” (Charles Curtis - Oct 15, 2024) 

The Yankees 2024 World Series team will cross their fingers that a little bit of the team’s Derek Jeter-era glory will rub off on them from old-school turtlenecks they’ve been wearing this October. Ace Gerrit Cole grew up a Yankees diehard in Newport Beach, Calif., and he said wearing them gives him a connection to his “childhood heroes.” 

For Cole, the turtleneck obsession goes back much further.

In February 2020, he arrived at his spring training locker at George M. Steinbrenner Field for his first official day with the Yankees. After all those years of being a fan, finally, hanging in front of him were his very own team-issued set of pinstriped pants, hats with the interlocking NY and workout gear. His heart warmed at the sight.

But something was missing. He pushed aside the hangers, looking. Then he searched for Rob Cucuzza.

“Do you have any more of those turtlenecks?” he said.

Cole said he’s kept several of them in his locker but breaks them out sparingly, trying to “selectively wear it so it doesn’t get worn out in the washer and dryer.”

And they get Cole closer to the Yankees he loved as a kid, the ones this team hopes to channel Monday — as it tries to win the World Series just like they did, wearing the turtlenecks just like they did.

“It looks like my childhood heroes,” Cole said. “[I can] put on their superhero costume.” (Kuty - Oct 28, 2024 - The Athletic)

TRANSACTIONS

June 2011: The Pirates made Cole the #1 pick in the draft, out of UCLA. And they signed him, via scout Rick Allen, on the August 15 deadline, for an $8 million signing bonus. Cole can make more than $9 million in guaranteed money if he reaches the Majors by 2013 (which he did). 

Jan 13, 2016: Cole and the Pirates avoided arbitration, agreeing to a one-year deal for $3.7 million.

January 2017: Gerrit and the Pirates again avoided arbitration, signing another one-year, $3.7 million deal.

Jan 13, 2018: The Pirates dealt Cole to the Astros; acquiring righthander Joe Musgrove, third baseman Colin Moran, reliever Michael Feliz, and outfield prospect Jason Martin.

Feb 14, 2019: By winning his arbitration case against the Astros, pitcher Gerrit Cole will double his salary this year and make $13.5 million. 

Oct 31, 2019: Cole chose free agency, turning down the Astros’ $17.8 million qualifying offer for 2020.

Dec 11, 2019:  Cole and the Yankees agreed to a record-setting nine-year, $324 million contract, The pact includes a full no-trade clause and establishes new high marks in terms of total contract value for a free-agent starting pitcher and average annual value for any free agent ($36 million per year).

Cole can opt out after the 2024 season.

Nov 3, 2024: Cole opted out of his contract. The Yankees can void the opt-out by adding one year and $36 million to his existing deal. The 34-year-old Cole has four years and $144 million remaining on a deal signed with the Yankees back in 2019.

Nov 5, 2024: After triggering a contractual opt-out that could have made him a free agent, Cole and the Yankees agreed to continue with their deal as it was originally constituted, meaning that the right-hander is still signed to a contract with $144 million remaining through 2028.

Cole and the Yankees may someday entertain extension talks concerning the 2029 season and beyond, GM Brian Cashman said, but that can take place at a later date. Cashman said that club decision-makers “weren’t necessarily comfortable” voiding the opt-out by adding a year and $36 million to the deal, which they communicated to Cole and agent Scott Boras.

Cole has a 94-102 mph, four-seam FASTBALL that has natural arm-side run with extra life at the end. He also has a 91-95 mph two-seam sinker. And he has an 87-90 mph power SLIDER that is a nasty pitch with good depth and sharp darting movement coming from his three-quarters arm slot. His biting, late-breaking 80-83 mph CURVEBALL with depth. He also has good movement on his fairly decent 88-91 mph CHANGEUP with good arm speed.

Gerrit's sinker is an 80. And most scouts give his swing-and-miss slider a 70 because of the two-plane break. It drops off the table just as it reaches home plate.

Cole can tell you his two-seamer is coming and you can’t do anything about it. He can throw it in, backdoor it, front door it to a lefty. (May 2016)

2016 Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam Fastball: 50.2% of the time; Sinker 16.6% of the time; Change 5.3%; Slider 17.9%; and Curve 10% of the time.

2017 Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam Fastball: 43.2% of the time; Sinker 16.5% of the time; Change 10.7%; Slider 17.4%; and Curve 12.1% of the time.

2018 Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam Fastball: 53.5% of the time; Sinker 2.8%; Change 4.6%; Slider 19.7%; and his Curve 19.4% of the time. Average velocity: 4-seam 97.1 mph, Sinker 96.7, Change 88.3, Slider 89.3, and Curve 83 mph.

2019 Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam Fastball: 54.1% of the time; Sinker less than 1%; Change 7%; Slider 23.1%; and his Curve 15.5% of the time. Average velocity: 4-seam 97.4 mph, Sinker 96.2, Change 88.8, Slider 89.4, and Curve 83 mph.

2020 Season Pitch Usage: 4-seam Fastball: 52.6% of the time; Change 6.5%; Slider 22.4%; and his Curve 18.5% of the time. Average velocity: 4-seam 97 mph, Change 88.7, Slider 89, and Curve 83.6 mph.

2022 Season Pitch Use/Avg. Velo: Fastball 51% - 98 mph; Slider 23.7% - 88.7 mph; Curve 12% - 83 mph; Sinker 8.3% - 06 mph; Change 8.4% - 89.7 mph. Cutter 5% - 92.3 mph

2023 Pitch Usage/Avg. Velo: Fastball 54% - 97 mph; Slider 20% - 89 mph; Curve 11.7% - 83 mph; Cutter 7% - 93 mph; Change 7% - 89 mph.

2024 Pitch Usage/Avg. Velo: 4-seam Fastball 46.2% - 96 mph; Slider 16.7% - 88.5 mph; Curve 16.7% - 83 mph; Cutter 14.2% - 91.3 mph.

2025 Season: (Tommy John surgery)

2013: Cole, who made his Major League debut with the Pirates in June 2013, is the first to beat Cy Young winners in his first two starts, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

In 2015, Gerrit adopted a new shoulder-strengthening regimen. Under his jersey he wore the Zephyr Bioharness, a device that monitors fatigue. He was one of several Pirates to experiment with the ancient Eastern practice of placing suction cups to his back and shoulder to promote quicker healing. (Travis Sawchik - Pittsburgh Tribune Review - Dec 2015)

In June 2015, Cole won his 30th Major League game in his 53rd start. The last Pirates pitcher to notch 30 wins as fast was Emil Yde, who did it from 1924-1925. Nine of Cole's wins have come in 2015. (Singer - mlb.com - 6/7/15)

Cole’s minor league mentor Jim Benedict, now the vice president of pitching development for the Marlins, tells his coworkers that Cole is such a student of the game that he could be a pitching coach right now.

April 13, 2017: Gerrit joined Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers in Major League history to strike out at least 11 in three consecutive starts to begin a season. He struck out 14 Rangers in 7 innings at Minute Maid Park. What's more, he set an MLB record with 36 strikeouts in his first three starts with a team. The 14 strikeouts joined the Minute Maid Park record for an Astros pitcher, set by Bud Norris in 2010.

"Dude's been lights-out," Springer said. "He's really kept us in the game every start. He's been everything that we've heard, seen, hoped for, and I'm glad he's on our side."  (McTaggart - mlb.com)

April 29, 2018: Cole set an Astros franchise record by striking out 61 batters in April. He is the fourth pitcher in Astros history to strike out at least 60 batters in a single calendar month, joining J.R. Richard (62 in August 1979 and 69 in September 1979), Mike Scott (64 in May 1986) and Randy Johnson (61 in August 1998).

July 10, 2018: Cole posted 11 strikeouts in his six frames, giving him 169 punch outs in 19 starts this season. Cole surpassed Mike Scott (167 Ks in 1986) to set a new Astros franchise record with 169 strikeouts before the All-Star break.

Sept 10, 2018: Astros Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole became the first righthanded pitchers on the same team to strike out at least 250 batters in the same season since at least 1900. They are the first set of teammates to strike out at least 250 batters in a season since Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling in 2002.

The Astros traded for Cole, who had just had the worst of his five seasons with the Pirates (4.26 ERA and the second-most home runs allowed in the NL). The Astros used pitch data to identify a better pitcher hidden within Cole. They told him much of the way he was using his pitches was wrong.

For instance, Gerrit said, "They told me to throw my slider more and my curveball harder, which was the opposite of what I was doing."

The most fundamental change was to transform Cole from a 2-seam fastball pitcher down in the zone to get ground balls into a 4-seam fastball monster with swing-and-miss stuff at the top of the zone. The Astros convinced Cole that the 2-seamer is an ineffective pitch in today's game. As hitters have prioritized slugging over batting average, they seek higher launch angles with a more upward swing path to the ball—perfect for elevating low pitches.

"I always tried to pound down to create ground balls," Cole says, "but with the livelier balls and the way hitters adjusted their swing path, that 2-seamer was getting elevated as opposed to getting crushed to the third baseman."

Then, the Astros helped Cole remake his 4-seamer, the preferred pitch in the age of launch angle. They showed him video of his 4-seam fastball spinning at 2,300 rpm—almost 100 rpm faster than the Major League average. Cole throw 20 such high-spin fastballs in his first start of 2017. Yet by the end of the year Cole's 4-seamer had dissolved into a below-average one, averaging only 2,164 rpm.

The Houston staff, led by pitching coach Brent Strom, taught him how to throw a true 4-seamer. They explained that the hand and wrist should stay fully behind the ball through release to impart true north-side backspin. The faster a 4-seamer backspins and stays on a north-south axis, the more it resists gravity, and the more "ride" it has through the strike zone. "Ride" means it sinks less than the hitter expects, which leads the hitter to swing under the ball.

"The emphasis was on how to throw a true 4-seam," Cole says. "Step one: make it go straight and backspin it. I wanted it to be more true and stay in the lane instead of drifting. I wasn't really clear on how to throw it before."

Houston's plan worked. Cole's 4-seam fastball in 2018 averaged 2,379 rpm. Batters hit .185 against it, making it the third-toughest 4-seamer to hit among all Major League starters, behind only Walker Buehler and Chris Sale. (Tom Verducci - Sports Illustrated - 4/01/2019)

Oct 4, 2019: Imagine getting shut down for seven innings by Justin Verlander and finding out a day later the domination had just started. On deck for the Rays is Gerrit Cole—the other half of baseball’s most intimidating one-two starting pitcher duo since Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, who had a performance for the ages.

Cole baffled the Rays for 7.2 scoreless innings, striking out an Astros franchise playoff record 15 batters—the most in a postseason game since 2000—while allowing one walk and four hits. He led the Astros to a 3-1 victory in Game 2 of the ALDS at Minute Maid Park.

“Well, I'm just happy we got the win,” said Cole, who got 33 swings and misses. 

Cole became the seventh pitcher in history to strike out as many as 15 in a playoff game and the first since Roger Clemens in Game 4 of the 2000 ALCS. Cole won his 17th consecutive decision since May 27 to put the Astros one win away from advancing to the ALCS for the third year in a row. (B McTaggart - MLB.com - Oct 5, 2019) (Editor's note: The Astros beat the Rays three games to two, with Cole pitching Game 5.)

2019 Season: The runner-up to Justin Verlander for the AL Cy Young Award, Cole was 20-5 with an AL-leading 2.50 ERA in 33 starts, pacing the Majors with 326 strikeouts in 212.1 innings. 

In 2019, Cole's four-seam spin rate jumped another 151 rpm to 2,530, fourth-highest among regular starters. Why is that important? Because more fastball spin typically means more swings and misses. Last season, the MLB-wide swing-and-miss rate on 95+ mph four-seamers with a spin rate below 2,500 rpm was 24.8 percent. But at 2,500 rpm or higher, the whiff rate on those pitches was 30.8 percent.

Cole registered a 37.6 percent whiff rate with his four-seam fastball in 2019, ranking second in the Majors. His .166 batting average allowed on the pitch was the best among starters.  –Thomas Harrigan

Feb 6, 2020: The Yankees gambled on Cole as a first-round selection in the 2008 MLB draft, then grumbled when the promising hurler made good on his college commitment to UCLA. Once Cole was an established big leaguer, New York attempted to trade for him nine years later, but came away empty-handed when the Pirates preferred a different offer from the Astros.

No wonder GM Brian Cashman referred to Cole as his “great white whale,” one the Yankees finally landed by blowing the Angels and Dodgers out of the water with a landmark nine-year pact. Now, as pitchers and catchers prepare to report to George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, all eyes will be on Cole and his mission to deliver World Series title No. 28 to The Bronx.

“I love it. It's what you play for,” Cole said. “There were a couple years in Pittsburgh where we just weren’t good as a club. It's just not fun; it's not what I envisioned. I want to compete every year for a championship, and I want to win a championship. I was a Yankee fan, man, and every year you have that expectation that they're going to be competing. It doesn't scare me. It’s what I dreamed of.”

Viewed as the final piece for a win-now franchise that has been knocking on the door for several seasons, Cole is switching sides after his Houston club ended New York’s season in the ALCS. The bar is set incredibly high for him; managing GM Hal Steinbrenner said that the expectation is for Cole to celebrate multiple World Series championships during his time in pinstripes. In pure pitching terms, Cole’s acquisition transformed the Yankees’ rotation from a potential liability into a strength. 

Boone and the Yankees had the headache of preparing to face Cole in a postseason setting in October, when Houston handed him the ball for ALCS Game 3 at Yankee Stadium. Though it wasn’t his sharpest effort, Cole nevertheless delivered on that stage, silencing the Bombers with seven innings of four-hit ball while striking out seven against five walks. That contest was discussed during this past winter’s contract negotiations.

“We felt like had a pretty good plan, we just weren't able to take advantage of those couple of opportunities,” Boone said. “That has a lot to do with him being out there, and him being able to make pitches. It was a lot of fun to talk to him about how we looked at it, the reverence and respect he had for our lineup, and how he had to kind of navigate in that game. He's a special, special pitcher and a special guy.”

To a man, the travel contingent that jetted to the West Coast for preliminary talks with agent Scott Boras—one that included retired hurler Andy Pettitte—came away impressed by Cole’s intensity and the serious nature of his questions.

“He's willing to bet on himself,” Cashman said. “I don't think many high school kids being drafted in the first round by their childhood dream team … would say, ‘I'm going to college because it'll all work out.’ Those are examples of someone who's talking the talk and then shows he can walk the walk. You see how they react in the crazy environment of playoff baseball and World Series baseball, and listen, he has checked every box thus far.”

The Yankees’ sales pitch essentially informed Cole and his wife, Amy, that the Steinbrenner family was willing to do whatever it would take to ensure that his next start was in pinstripes.

“Unlike other top free agents in years past, I really felt that it would be a game-changer for us for a number of reasons,” Steinbrenner said. “Starting pitching, you obviously can't have enough of it. He’s unbelievably talented skill-wise, great makeup, very tough, very intelligent. He’s got an unbelievable work ethic, and he’s 29 years old. I mean, you put all those together and that's an opportunity any given year I would pursue if they were available.”

That total package is, the Yankees believe, one that will also fit seamlessly into their professional clubhouse. Cole pitched the equivalent of a perfect game during his formal Yankee Stadium introduction on Dec. 18, deftly handling the press while surprising his audience with a weather-faded piece of poster board from his childhood. Beyond innings and strikeouts, Boone also believes that Cole will assist in filling whatever leadership void exists among the pitching staff. (B Hoch - MLB.com - Feb 6, 2020)

WINNING STREAK

Aug. 3, 2020: Cole extended his career-long winning streak (in decisions for him) to 19 games.

August 14, 2020:  Registering his fourth victory in five Yankees starts, Gerrit notched his 20th consecutive winning decision dating back to May 27, 2019. That's the third-longest streak in Major League history.

“I felt like I kept repeating and started to get into a slot, into a good rhythm where I could put a little extra on some pitches when we needed to,” Cole said. (Hoch - mlb.com - 8/14/2020)

Aug. 26, 2020: The win streak is over. Cole’s only loss in 15 months came in Game 1 of the World Series against the Nationals. Cole went 20-0 with a 1.97 ERA in 28 starts over his win streak, tied with Jake Arrieta (2015-2016), Roger Clemens (1998-1999) and Rube Marquard (1911-1912) for the third-longest ever.

Carl Hubbell (24 games, 1936-1937) and Roy Face (22 games, 1958-1959) are the only pitchers ever to enjoy longer winning streaks. Cole’s streak of 28 starts without suffering a loss was also snapped, falling two shy of Clemens’ record of 30. (Bryan Hoch)

Sept 16, 2020:  Gerrit became the 38th pitcher in history to reach 100 wins within his first 203 appearances, and just the 13th since 1960.

May 12, 2021:  Gerrit’s third-inning strikeout of Brett Phillips was the 1,500th of his career.  According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Cole (1,315 innings) is the fourth-fastest MLB pitcher to reach the milestone.  (Hoch - mlb.com)

Cole talks about his curveball:

“A.J. Burnett taught Charlie Morton and me the grip when we were in Pittsburgh. He would take me in the cage and do drills with me that his dad would do with him when he was a kid. The curveball is something he’s basically had since the first time he started playing catch, which is different than me, but similar to Jameson Taillon. So I had to learn it. He showed me the grip, showed me the drills, and kind of described what he was feeling and what he was looking for. This was in 2012, in spring training. Then in 2013, in the big leagues, we worked on it a lot," Cole said.

“I’d been pretty much slider only. I had tried a bigger curveball. I’d tried to make the slider bigger. I’d tried to throw a shorter cutter. But I never really had a true downer breaking ball. At first, I incorporated it in Pittsburgh [and] a lot was changing speeds. It’s kind of developed a little bit beyond just that.

“One of the drills was with an L screen. We played catch in the cage a few times. He’d back me up to 50-55 feet — just in front of the mound — and I would play catch with the curveball. Then he would slide the L screen over. The objective was to throw the curveball and make it go right over the shorter portion of the L screen. It would get to the correct height at the finish. We practiced that a lot.

Cole’s curveball grip:

“We practiced just getting over the ball. We discussed the grip in terms of where you put your pressure in order to be able to hold it. Charlie’s is extremely in the fingertips. I don’t have quite as big a hand, so I just kind of set it loosely in there. A.J. would take his nail and drive it into the seam. He would harden his nail up, and use the nail to flick it. I’m not sure how Charlie uses the nail. I just kind of set the finger away.

“I first loved Adam Wainwright’s curveball, and that’s when I first started to try to throw a curveball with the finger up. This is when I was 11 or 12 years old. But I noticed that the ball would wobble as it hit my index finger out of my hand. Even though it was loose, and it was away, it always affected the spin — it decelerated the spin on the way to the plate. Getting the knuckle out when the ball comes out, it just kind of avoids the index finger. I guess I maybe use the index finger to also create good spin on it, too. Right? Like, I’m going to get a slight pressure point. But it doesn’t drag off the finger like the way it did with the finger up.

“I learned in Houston that it made no difference to throw it 78-79 mph. I got no extra break out of that, so throwing it slightly harder, like in the 82-84 range, was much more effective. It still provided enough change of speed from a deception standpoint, and at the same time it had enough velocity to where it made you make a decision just that much quicker. It was roughly the same break as the 78-79, and since I’ve gotten more comfortable [with 82-84], that’s been a much better speed for me to comfortably throw the pitch. I can also manipulate the break a little more now that I’ve thrown it for seven or eight years.

“Early on, I was trying to throw it, more so to control the speed. And I don’t think that’s … I guess I haven’t quite figured out how to throw it slower and make it better. I can throw harder and make it shorter and more depthy and more nasty. I can throw it 80 and get the perfect blend of all of them. But the slower I throw it … it’s like diminishing returns to a certain extent. It just gives the hitter a longer time to adapt. So the mentality is … I guess I’d say you shouldn’t sacrifice any crispness or bite on the pitch for velocity. It has to bite every time or it doesn’t serve a purpose.

“There are always outliers — there are multiple ways to get it done — but generally, I find that if you can get tight spin to where it spins like a white ball … and you want the direction of the spin to somewhat mimic the fastball. If you’re spinning a fastball at two o’clock, spinning the curveball at two o’clock — obviously in the other direction — provides really good deception. It also gives you a good split, relative to your break chart. The maximum discrepancy.”  (David Laurila - Sept 28, 2021)

Nov 17, 2021: For the second time in three years, Cole was the runner-up for the AL Cy Young. 

Cole finished second to the Blue Jays’ Robbie Ray. Ray received 29 of 30 first-place votes from eligible members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. (B Hoch - MLB.com - Nov 17, 2021)

2022 Improvements: Gerrit is cooking up something extra spicy this season.

The Yankees' ace righty debuted a secret new pitch in a Grapefruit League game against the Tigers. Cole threw five cutters during the game, which Bryan Hoch of MLB.com says was a secret project this spring. The cat was only let out of the bag when Statcast revealed that Cole was throwing cutters during the contest.

“I think it looks pretty good,” Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka was quoted as saying about Cole’s cutter. “Do people know about this pitch?”

If they didn’t already, they certainly do now. According to FanGraphs, Cole has never thrown the cutter in his MLB career, relying almost exclusively on a fastball, slider, curveball, and changeup. His second start of the spring as well as his apparent cutter debut, Cole gave up one earned run and struck out five in 3.1 innings of work.  (April 2, 2022 - Darryn Albert)

May 23, 2023: Cole became the third-fastest pitcher to 2,000 strikeouts in terms of both games played (278) and innings pitched (1,714 2/3). Only Randy Johnson and Clayton Kershaw got there in fewer games, while Chris Sale and Pedro Martinez achieved the milestone in fewer innings.

2023 Season: Cole won the AL Cy Young.

Cole put together the best season of his storied 11-year MLB career, recording an AL-best 2.63 ERA while also leading the junior circuit in innings (209) and ERA+ (165) and ranking third in strikeouts (222). His 2.63 ERA marked the lowest by a qualified Yankee since Rudy May recorded a 2.46 ERA in 41 games (17 starts) in 1980.

Cole had six starts of at least seven innings and became the 12th active pitcher to make 300 career starts when he tossed a shutout against the Blue Jays in his final outing of the season. He’s the first Yankee to be named MLB Pitcher of the Year by Baseball Digest. (Henry Palattella - Oct. 3, 2023)

2024 Improvements: Even with a Cy Young Award in hand, Cole remains relentless in his pursuit of pitching perfection, targeting what he considers his biggest vulnerability—the changeup. Despite his already dominant arsenal, the ace starter is determined to elevate his game, recognizing that every edge matters.

In a candid admission to YES Network’s Jack Curry, Gerrit Cole acknowledged, “My worst pitch is still my change-up,” and drew inspiration from an unexpected source—Pedro Martinez. While the mention of Martinez might evoke memories of past Red Sox battles for some in the Bronx, the Yankees rotation leader is focused on the legendary pitcher’s mastery of the changeup.

2024 Season:  Over his first four seasons with the Yankees, Cole went 51-23 with a 3.08 ERA, 1.011 WHIP, and 816 strikeouts over 644.0, giving New York ace stats. He led the American League in wins (16) in 2021 and in ERA in 2019 (2.50) and 2023 (2.63). Before last season, Cole finished with 200 strikeouts or more for five consecutive years (276, 326, 243, 257, and 222), excluding the shortened COVID-19 season in 2020.

A right elbow issue developed last March, leading to 75 games on the injured list. Cole battled his way over his first seven starts (5.54 ERA, 1.457 WHIP, and 38 strikeouts) due to allowing nine home runs over 35.0 innings. He went 5-3 in August and September with a 2.25 ERA and 61 strikeouts over 60.0 innings. Only two balls left the park over this span.

New York handed him the ball in five games in the postseason (1-0 with a 2.17 ERA, 1.276 WHIP, and 22 strikeouts over 29.0 innings).

His average fastball (96.0) was down about one mph from 2023 and almost two mph from his peak in 2021 and 2022. Cole incorporated his cutter (13.4%) more last season, leading to fewer four-seamers (45.4%) and sliders (16.2%). His fastball (.194 BAA) remains his best pitch, followed by his curveball (.216 BAA). The combination of his slider/cutter (.274 BAA) had less value. (Shawn Childs - Feb. 10, 2025 - SI)

June 4-28, 2014: Cole was on the DL with right shoulder fatigue.

July 7-Aug. 20, 2014: The Pirates placed Cole on the disabled list with a tight right lat.

June 11-July 16, 2016: Cole was on the DL with right triceps muscle strain.

August 29-Sept. 12, 2016: The Pirates placed Cole on the 15-day disabled list with right elbow inflammation.

Sept 13-Nov 4, 2016: Cole was on the DL with right elbow posterior inflammation. The Pirates decided to shut him down for the rest of the season and placed him on the 60-day disabled list.

August 2-16, 2021: Gerrit tested positive for COVID-19 and went on the IL.

March 12, 2024: Cole went for an MRI on March 11 and a second MRI on March 12.  

March 16-June 19, 2024: He walked out of the Los Angeles office of Dr. Neal ElAttrache relieved that Tommy John surgery had been ruled out.

Instead, the right-hander was diagnosed with nerve inflammation and edema, instructed that he could treat his ailing right elbow with a combination of rest and rehabilitation: three to four weeks without throwing, then a ramp-up to rejoin the Yankees during the season. He started the season on the IL.

March 28-June 19, 2024: Cole was placed on the 60-day IL.

March-May 22, 2025:  Cole underwent Tommy John surgery in Los Angeles. Surgery was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute. The procedure was a complete UCL reconstruction that also included an internal brace.  

Cole has said he is planning on a 14-month recovery, which would set his target date for May 2026.

Feb 21, 2026: Cole faced hitters for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery last spring, tossing an inning of live batting practice at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. March 24, 2026: Cole made second Grapefruit League start vs. the Cubs, throwing 26 pitches over 1 2/3 innings, striking out three and allowing a solo homer. He will continue to pitch in game situations, including Minor League games, over the next several weeks.