With the Yankees looking for a win to open the second half, their ace delivered in a 6-1 victory over the Rays on Friday night.
Gerrit Cole cruised through the evening, blanking Tampa Bay for five frames before allowing a solo homer to Brandon Lowe in the sixth. Cole completed that inning without any added damage, and he also totaled six hits, one walk and eight strikeouts over 103 pitches.
“Just a great way to come out of the All-Star break and set the tone for us,” said Aaron Boone, whose Yankees went 8-18 before the All-Star Game. “I thought he was sharp, and I thought he had a lot of different ways to get you out tonight.”
Added Austin Wells, Friday’s catcher: “I thought from his bullpen to getting in the game, it was the sharpest I’d seen him this year.”
Only six starts into his season following a case of elbow inflammation, Cole has now held opponents to one earned run over six innings in two straight starts after posting a similar line against Baltimore on July 12. He struck out 15 and walked two in those 12 innings.
Wells said that he feared Cole wouldn’t finish Friday’s start, as the pitcher grew frustrated with home plate umpire Quinn Wolcott prior to the second inning.
Cole was given a pitch clock violation for taking too long with his warmups. He didn’t appreciate the ruling.
“I don’t really think I gave him a chance to talk,” Cole said when asked what explanation he got, though he added that he was grateful Wolcott didn’t eject him. “I was fired up. I was desperately trying to calm back down. Quinn did a better job with it than I did, that’s for sure.”
Umpire gave Gerrit Cole a pitch clock violation for taking too long during warmups and Cole was mad pic.twitter.com/gWoG0ngt2Y
— Talkin’ Yanks (@TalkinYanks) July 19, 2024
While Cole kept the Rays at bay and his emotions in check just enough, the Yankees managed to put a few runs on the board after squandering opportunities in the first two innings of play.
It looked as if they might do that again in the third after their first run came on a bases-loaded, nobody-out groundout from cleanup hitter Alex Verdugo. A soft lineout from Gleyber Torres followed, but a walk to Austin Wells reloaded the bases for Anthony Volpe.
The shortstop cleared the bags with a double down the left field line while simultaneously securing his first three-RBI game since May 7. Volpe finished the first half hitting .195/.222/.276 over his last 40 games, but he went 2-for-4 on Friday.
“That was that big, back-breaking hit that we needed,” Boone said. “Got it [with] two outs. Really excited for him, and that kind of got us going.”
Volpe clears the bases 👊 pic.twitter.com/05rVu9qRNS
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 20, 2024
Juan Soto also had a huge night, recording his second four-hit game with the Yankees. Two of those were doubles off the left field wall, and Soto also dropped a bunt for a hit.
“It’s worth the price of admission, to say the least,” Cole said of Soto. “I mean, what a magnificent hitter.”
The slugger’s most entertaining knock came in the fourth, when Soto and some careless defense turned a two-bagger into a Little League homer.
First, Randy Arozarena bobbled the hit off the left field wall after trying to play the ball barehanded. He then chucked a looping throw to the infield, allowing Soto to take third base. Soto completed his trip around the bases when relay man Richie Palacios hit the runner with another errant throw. The ball ricocheted off Soto, allowing him to jog home.
“I just never stopped,” Soto said.
Touch ’em all, @JuanSoto25_ 😁 pic.twitter.com/38EHuEujlB
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 20, 2024
Soto’s fourth hit, a double in the sixth, preceded an RBI single from Aaron Judge.
“He was on it all night,” Boone said of Soto.
Five of the Yankees’ six runs came against Rays starter Zach Eflin, though the righty only earned four over five.
Now 59-40, the Yankees will turn to Nestor Cortes on Saturday. The lefty has struggled on the road this season, but he’s been masterful at home, recording a 1.81 ERA over 10 starts in the Bronx.
Taj Bradley will throw for the Rays. The righty has a 2.90 ERA and limited the Yankees to one run over six innings in his first start of the year on May 10.
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