Gerrit Cole’s Comeback Is More Than Just a Return - It’s a Revival for the Yankees
TAMPA, Fla. - Back on September 27, just days before the Yankees were set to square off with the Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, rookie right-hander Cam Schlittler had the ball and a problem. The Yankees had tabbed him for Game 3, and while his fastball still touched triple digits, his cutter wasn’t cutting it - literally.
Enter Gerrit Cole.
The veteran ace, sidelined at the time recovering from Tommy John surgery, didn’t need a mound session or slow-motion video to diagnose the issue. A quick conversation was all it took.
“Try throwing the cutter hard and up in the zone,” Cole advised. “You want separation between the cutter and the slider, which you want to take something off, down and away.”
That tweak - small in theory, massive in execution - changed everything.
Schlittler took the mound against Boston and carved. Seven shutout innings.
Twelve strikeouts. A Red Sox lineup that looked completely overmatched.
It was a breakout performance, and it had Cole’s fingerprints all over it.
The Yankees didn’t make it past the next round - Toronto ended their run - but Schlittler hasn’t forgotten what that moment meant. And more importantly, who helped make it possible.
“Gerrit is at another level,” Schlittler said Friday morning at Steinbrenner Field. “The way he sees things, the way he picks things up. When he talks about mechanics, everyone’s listening.”
That’s the thing about Cole. His value to the Yankees goes beyond his fastball, his strikeouts, or even his ace status.
He’s a mentor, a technician, a baseball lifer with a mind as sharp as his slider. And now, as he works his way back from elbow surgery, the Yankees are getting more than just an arm - they’re getting their leader back.
The Yankees’ Missing Piece
There’s no sugarcoating what happened in the postseason. The Yankees got steamrolled by the Blue Jays, and the absence of Cole loomed large.
Max Fried did what he could, carrying the rotation through the regular season with 195.1 innings, but by October, he looked worn down. In Game 2 of the Division Series, Toronto pounced - seven runs in three innings, and just like that, the Yankees’ season was on life support.
That’s where Cole comes in. Not just to give the rotation a boost, but to restore order. He’s the guy who can stabilize a staff, take the ball in Game 1, and still have enough left to help a rookie tweak his cutter in Game 3.
“I can’t say it enough, how much Gerrit means to the other pitchers,” Fried said. “It’s not just his performance, it’s his personality.
He’s extremely bright. He’ll come up to you in the middle of a game, in between innings, because he sees something that can help you.”
A Baseball Mind Like Few Others
Cole’s baseball IQ is elite - and not in the overused, cliché way. This is a guy who can break down Sandy Koufax’s arm path, Jim Palmer’s delivery quirks, and Pedro Martinez’s hip-shoulder separation like he’s analyzing game film from last week.
On Koufax: “Sandy’s main component, like (Juan) Marichal, is that even though they were really high with their legs or shoulder, they wound up pulling their arm down and through, which is what you want.”
On Palmer: “He had a big funky delivery, but he ended up pitching 4000 innings. So even though he had a unique way of throwing the ball, it was very efficient.”
On Seaver: “His release point wasn’t as high, but when the arm is in sync with the body like that, you know. It’s hard to describe, but Seaver did it right.”
On Gooden: “Super powerful delivery, kind of breaking ball oriented, but he dominated with a high fastball. Kind of like Koufax.”
On Pedro: “I really liked his change-up when I was a kid. When I was young I had more arm-side run and threw a lot of change-ups like Pedro.
I thought his hip-shoulder separation was elite, which is why he was able to maximize velocity. But his genetics were great.
He was so rubber-bandy.”
Cole’s own pitching idols? Roger Clemens and Greg Maddux.
Clemens for his lower half strength and drive. Maddux for his repeatable, efficient delivery.
It’s no surprise Cole has become a hybrid of the two - power and precision, intellect and intensity.
The Comeback Trail
Now 35, Cole is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, and the early signs are promising. During a bullpen session on Friday, he experimented with an old-school, over-the-head windup - something straight out of the 1970s.
It’s not a move you see much these days, with modern mechanics focused on minimizing excess movement and maximizing ground force. But Cole isn’t chasing trends.
He’s chasing feel.
“I liked the way it felt,” he said, casually ramping up to 94 mph.
That’s impressive for any pitcher in early spring. It’s downright encouraging for someone less than a year removed from elbow reconstruction.
The Yankees haven’t circled a date on the calendar, but June 1 is a realistic target. And based on the way Cole is talking - and throwing - it’s not just about getting back.
It’s about getting back better.
“It feels really good,” he said of the elbow. “It feels different than it has in quite some time.”
Has the clock been turned back?
“In that regard, yes,” Cole said. “But the feel is also subjective, so we’ll have to see.”
A Return That Resonates
Cole’s return isn’t just about innings or ERA. It’s about presence. It’s about the confidence he instills in the clubhouse, the insight he shares in the dugout, and the standard he sets every time he steps on the mound.
The Yankees need that. Max Fried needs that. Cam Schlittler, and every young arm in that clubhouse, needs that.
Because when Gerrit Cole is healthy, he’s not just the Yankees’ ace - he’s their compass.
And if this comeback keeps trending the way it has, the Bronx might be getting more than just an arm back. They might be getting their identity back, too.