Ace Gerrit Cole "on point'' in '26 debut, but Yankees can't solve Rays

NEW YORK – After the big ovation, and all the things that made it seem like a personal Opening Night for Gerrit Cole, a familiar rhythm began to develop. “At some point tonight,’’ Cole said Friday night, “it felt like I’d never left. ’’ Some 19 months after his last big-league start, having rehabbed from Tommy John surgery, Cole said that pitching against the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays seemed “almost like a second debut’’ in the majors.

“Nice to get back in the fire,’’ said Cole, who tossed six scoreless innings, exited with a one-run lead – then watched the relentless Rays mount another comeback win. Taking their opening from a Jose Caballero fielding error, the Rays parlayed a four-run eighth inning into a 4-2 victory at Yankee Stadium, where they opened a 5. 5-game lead on the Yanks.

With their speed, daring, overall pitching and fundamental skill – led by a talent for putting the ball in play, and putting pressure on a defense – the Rays are now 4-0 against the Yanks in 2026. Ending the game as the tying run, Aaron Judge's 106. 6-mph, 396-foot drive was caught at the center field warning track, leaving the Yanks' captain with one hit in his last 24 at-bats and without an RBI since May 10.

But with 11 hits on the night, "we didn't have much to show for it,'' said Boone, nevertheless "encouraged by what I saw'' from his team's at-bats Friday. Already, it seems like a version of the 2025 Blue Jays, who won a divisional tiebreaker against the Yanks, dominated them in the regular season and beat them in a playoff series. Starting pitching has been a signature Yankee strength this season, even as they waited for Cole and Carlos Rodon (elbow surgery) to arrive back, and with lefty ace Max Fried currently sidelined with a bone bruise to his pitching elbow.