Gerrit Cole strikes out 10 in front of a record-setting crowd in Rochester

When New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone reads the report emanating from Rochester regarding Gerrit Cole’s third rehab start which took place at jam-packed Innovative Field Friday night, he will have almost no recourse.

The time has come to welcome the ace of his pitching staff back to the Bronx so that he can start one of the games next week at Yankee Stadium when his club takes on the Baltimore Orioles in an early showdown for supremacy in the AL East.

“We’ve got to make that decision in the next 24 to 48 hours, but it was really good work tonight,” Cole said in what would qualify as an understatement.

The reigning American League Cy Young award winner toyed with the Red Wings during his 4 ⅓ innings of work, thrilling a throng of 13,605 fans – largest in the ballpark's 27-year history for a regular-season game, many of them wearing Yankee pinstripes and interlocking NY caps. Cole allowed an unearned run on just two hits and no walks with 10 strikeouts, throwing 46 of 70 pitches for strikes with a fastball that topped at 97 mph.

And with many of those Yankees fans in attendance also Red Wings fans, it was a win-win all the way around because Rochester pulled out a 2-1 victory over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre when Jackson Cluff walked in the bottom of the ninth inning, stole second, took third on a sacrifice and scored on Erick Mejia’s walk-off sacrifice fly to right.

By then, Cole was long gone because his 70-pitch count was the real deal, so much so that Rail Riders manager Shelley Duncan took him out of the game even though he was in the middle of an at bat against Brady Lindsly when he reached that threshold with one out in the fifth inning.

“We were all behind that number,” Cole said. “I felt really strong at the end so there’s probably a few more in the tank, which is a good thing, so we’re making steady progression at the same time. I used all the pitches well, got to pretty much every location, so it’s another good step in the right direction.”

There was an electric atmosphere at the downtown ballpark, similar to the way it was when other big names like Hideki Irabu, Andy Pettitte, Stephen Strasburg and Orlando Hernandez pitched there, and fans certainly got their money’s worth as Cole put on quite a show.

He gave up a hard-hit double to the left-center gap to Jack Dunn in the first inning but left him stranded by striking out Travis Blankenhorn and then getting Juan Yepez to line out to right field. He breezed through the second inning 1-2-3 needing just 11 pitches, then struck out the side in the third on 14 pitches.

Cole’s only blip came in the fourth, though the run Rochester scored was not his fault and was unearned. Dunn led off with a routine grounder to short and first baseman Ben Rice missed Jeter Downs’ on-target throw for a two-base error. Cole struck out two, but then Riley Adams grounded a single to right to plate Dunn with the tying run. Downs had homered in the third to give the Rail Riders a 1-0 lead.

Cole began the fifth by striking out Cluff, and when he left the mound, he received a standing ovation from many in the crowd, tipping his cap as he entered the visiting dugout.

Afterward, he graciously met with reporters in the Scranton clubhouse while the game continued, and he said he really enjoyed his brief stay in town.

“It was another packed house, fun night, a beautiful, beautiful, upstate New York summer evening,” he said with a smile. “Pitched here once before (in the minor leagues) so I was excited to come back. It’s a special feeling when you go somewhere and your fans come out and support you.

“We don’t often get to come around these parts. I mean, the last time the big club was up here was COVID (in 2020) when we were playing in Buffalo (against the Blue Jays) so it’s nice to see these people and it feels really special that they came out and supported me. It’s part of the reason why we love this game.”

Cole was sidelined in mid-March due to nerve irritation and edema in his pitching elbow and was shut down for about six weeks before he began his rehab program. He made two starts at Double-A Somerset on June 4 and June 9, and combined with this start for the Rail Riders, he pitched a total of 12 ⅓ minor-league innings and gave up just one earned run on six hits with no walks and 19 strikeouts.

This was a big step, though, because he faced Triple-A batters. “Obviously, Triple-A hitters are very close to the big leagues and so that’s important to get through those guys as well,” he said.

Now, it’s decision time, but it really doesn’t seem to be much of a decision. He looks ready to go.

Before the game, Boone told reporters in Boston before the Yankees played the Red Sox, “You want to see him get to a threshold tonight, see how he’s carrying his stuff. It’s going to be a different adrenaline level being there than when he first comes back with us. Making sure he gets through that, what’s tomorrow look like when he wakes up and gets moving. Those will be things we all talk through.”

Cole, who has been with the Yankees for most of his time on the injured list and will join them in Boston, smiled when he was asked about rejoining the team.

“I’m very much wanting to get back very, very soon,” he said. “What a fun club that they are right now so yeah, that’s part of the reason why I’m just trying to make sure that I’m in a good spot to help them.”

Sal Maiorana can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana. To subscribe to Sal's newsletter, Bills Blast, which comes out every other Friday during the offseason, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Gerrit Cole dominant in rehab start in Rochester