Yankees’ Gerrit Cole is all the way back after setting new career-best vs Orioles

New York Yankees fans are understandably worried about Aaron Judge having enough time to regain his superstar form after suffering a rib injury in late May, but they did witness a crucial development on Thursday night. The team’s formerly embattled starting pitcher is looking like his old Cy Young self after posting yet another gem.

Gerrit Cole is peaking just in time for the final stretch of the 2026 campaign, and he is doing so by achieving career milestones less than three weeks before his 36th birthday.

The accomplished right-hander leaped past Roger Clemens on the iconic franchise’s all-time strikeout list, but that feat does not underscore just how much control he wielded over the strike zone in New York’s’ 6-1 series-sweeping win versus the Baltimore Orioles. Cole threw an astonishing 22 of 23 first-pitch strikes in Camden Yards. This 95.7 first-pitch strike rate is the best mark of his career, per Sarah Langs.

No Yankees hurler has done better in this category since at least 2000 (minimum of 20 batters faced). The final line of Cole’s historic outing is one run on four hits and one walk with eight Ks in six innings of work. He now owns a 3-1 record with a sub-2.00 ERA in four August starts. Moreover, the two-time ERA king and six-time All-Star has struck out eight or more batters in four of his last seven outings.

Translation: Gerrit Cole the ace appears to be back. And the timing could not be better. Since Max Fried is back on the injured list with a bone bruise in his elbow, the Yankees (72-55) will need their other difference-making talents to turn it up a notch. No. 45 was already dealing on the hill, but he displayed excellent composure and confidence against the Orioles.

The Bronx is counting on him to maintain those qualities when the calendar flips to October.

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