Gerrit Cole’s Struggles Prompt Urgent Adjustments Ahead of Yankees Playoffs

On Saturday the Yankees faced the Mets in a game that ended 12–2. Starting pitcher Gerrit Cole was forced out after 4 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on nine hits, including three home runs. The loss marked his shortest start since a 4 1/3 -inning effort in Detroit on June 22. In his last two outings—against the Padres and the Mets—Cole surrendered seven home runs, the most he has yielded in a two-start span of his career.

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Cole missed the entire 2025 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery performed in March 2025. He returned on May 22, 2026. In his previous start on the West Coast, he became the first pitcher in MLB history to allow back-to-back-to-back home runs to the first three batters of a game, a pattern that repeated in the Mets matchup. The Yankees entered Saturday’s game needing a win and a loss by the Toronto Blue Jays to clinch a postseason berth.

ESPN

• Home runs allowed: 7 in the past two starts (four vs. the Padres, three vs. the Mets).

ESPN

• ERA: 3.67 after the loss, with a career-worst 7.28 ERA in 10 starts against the Mets.

ESPN

• Whiff rate: 22.3% this season, below the league average of 25%.

ESPN

• Fastball velocity: averaged 96.9 mph (season) and peaked at 98.7 mph; no swings-and-misses recorded on the fastball.

ESPN

• Innings pitched: 115 1/3 innings this season.

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• Strikeouts: 4 in the Saturday outing.

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• Remaining regular-season games: 14, giving Cole at most two starts before the playoffs.

New York Post

Cole said he “feels great” physically and does not attribute the decline to arm fatigue. Yankees manager Aaron Boone noted the lack of swing-and-miss may be due to pitching deep in the strike zone and expressed confidence that the veteran can rebound, calling him “smart and professional.”

Newsday

• “I think it's something that we got to figure out for sure,” — Gerrit Cole

ESPN

• “I think part of it is the product of being in the strike zone as much as he is,” — Aaron Boone, Yankees manager

Newsday

With the postseason on the line, the Yankees cannot afford another short start. Cole’s two remaining regular-season outings are critical for preserving the rotation’s effectiveness and securing the team’s playoff spot. A continued decline in swing-and-miss rates could force the Yankees to rely more heavily on the bullpen in high-leverage situations.

New York Post

Sources agree Cole’s fastball velocity remained at his season norm, but they differ on the cause of his reduced whiff rate. ESPN attributes the drop to a broader league-wide decline, while Newsday suggests it may reflect Cole’s post-surgery adjustment period. No definitive analysis has pinpointed the precise cause.

ESPN

Cole has at most two starts left before the postseason. The team will monitor his performance and may adjust pitch selection and sequencing to restore his strikeout ability before the playoffs.

Newsday