What stood out in Yankees ace Gerrit Cole’s first start back from Tommy John surgery

But manager Aaron Boone made his expectations clear a few hours before the veteran right-hander got to ...

One year, six months and 23 days. That’s how long it had been since Gerrit Cole took the mound in a meaningful MLB game. It was reasonable, then, to anticipate some rust from the 35-year-old Yankees ace as he made his long-awaited return from Tommy John surgery on Friday night in the Bronx.

But manager Aaron Boone made his expectations clear a few hours before the veteran right-hander got to work against the Tampa Bay Rays: Cole wouldn’t be making this start if he wasn’t ready. “I feel like he’s ready to perform at a high level,” Boone said. “He hasn’t pitched in a big-league game in a while, so I’m sure there will be things that he gets up to speed and even better at as time goes on.

But still, there’s [an] expectation that he can go out and get outs at a high rate. ” Cole did just that, hurling six scoreless innings — and needing only 72 pitches to do so — in the Yankees’ 4-2 loss to the MLB-best Rays. He struck out two and limited the Rays — one of MLB’s better offenses — to two hits and three walks, using a five-pitch mix to navigate the pesky Tampa lineup.