NEW YORK — Gerrit Cole stood on the mound at Yankee Stadium and threw 90 pitches Tuesday night, his highest count of the season. But what happened after the game might tell you more about where his head is at than any radar gun reading could.
The 2023 AL Cy Young winner compared his return from Tommy John surgery to — of all things — a Bob Ross painting session. “I feel like it’s kind of a blank canvas,” Cole said, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. “I’m just laying down some base layer paint, and we’ll see what kind of Bob Ross concoction comes at the end of the year. A little bit of liquid white.”
This is not the usual postgame quote from a guy who just allowed two runs on three hits while striking out six in the Yankees’ 12-2 drubbing of the Chicago White Sox. It’s the kind of self-awareness that comes from a 35-year-old pitcher who knows exactly what it takes to rebuild after major surgery.
Cole’s performance was solid, not spectacular — but that’s the point. Two rocky outings against Cleveland preceded this start, and the veteran right-hander is still in ramp-up mode after returning from the injured list in May. He’s not trying to be perfect; he’s trying to find his foundation.
Why the Bob Ross comparison works
Cole understands the gradual nature of recovery better than most. He’s no spring chicken, as the saying goes, and patience is critical. “You have to have dark in order to have light,” Bob Ross once said. Cole walked through that darkness during his long layoff and now seems determined to enjoy the process of coming back.
The run support didn’t hurt. Cody Bellinger, Ben Rice, Paul Goldschmidt, Spencer Jones and Jose Caballero each drove in two runs. Anthony Volpe and Bellinger recorded three hits apiece. Every starter in the lineup contributed to the Yankees’ 16-hit barrage, giving Cole a comfortable cushion to work with.
The bigger picture
Cole now carries a 2.57 ERA into what will be his sixth start of the season. The numbers suggest a top-end rotation piece is emerging — and quickly. But the right-hander knows harder outings are coming. The key is how he responds when the canvas gets messy.
“I’m just laying down some base layer paint,” he said. Translation: This is still the early stages. The masterpiece, if it happens, comes later. For now, Gerrit Cole is simply happy to be holding a brush again.
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