VIDEO: Gerrit Cole Sits Down Bryan Reynolds in Spring Debut for First Strikeout as a Yankee
By Karl Rasmussen
Fans in the Bronx are anxious to get a glimpse of their marquee offseason acquisition in action, and they finally got their wish on Monday night. Gerrit Cole took the mound against the Pirates in his spring debut and logged a successful first inning that saw him sit down two batters. The first, Bryan Reynolds, represented Cole's first punch-out in a Yankee uniform.
After just missing on a beautiful curveball, Gerrit Cole gets his first strikeout in pinstripes.
— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) February 24, 2020
Bryan Reynolds swings and misses on an offspeed pitch in the dirt. Sánchez finishes with a throw down to first #Yankees pic.twitter.com/oI7xTcpSLz
Cole was throwing gas in the first inning, topping out at 98 MPH, but it was his devastating breaking ball that got Reynolds swinging.
Gerrit Cole just hit 98 on the stadium radar gun. It’s Feb 24.
— Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) February 24, 2020
After penning a nine-year, $324 million deal with the Yankees this offseason, fans had been waiting all winter to see their new ace light up the radar gun. Well, they got their wish on Monday evening, and Cole made quick work of his former team.