The New York Yankees fans expected fireworks when Gerrit Cole made his return. Well, there certainly were fireworks in his Subway Series start – only it was the New York Mets who were doing the firing. Despite looking quite sharp in his first game against the Baltimore Orioles, Cole couldn’t quite get into a groove against the Mets. That has led the 8x All-Star Pedro Martinez to question Cole’s recovery.

One key feature of Cole’s arsenal has been his fastball. The Yankees ace didn’t drop below 92.3 mph in his fastballs last season. However, things were quite different this time. After an electrifying first inning where he touched 97-99 mph, Cole could barely go above 95 mph the whole game. In fact, the star shockingly fell to 91.5 mph in velocity. That proved to be a catalyst for Pedro Martinez to wonder whether Cole also has an issue with his shoulder.

“I was looking for location and it was never there for Gerrit Cole,” Martinez said about Cole’s performance. “Looking at him, he looks more like he has a shoulder problem than he does an elbow problem. His location is not there. Everything was up, everything was yanked to the other side.” Later, the legend noted that Cole wasn’t able to get his arm fully up. Could that be up to some unknown shoulder issue?

That was an issue that continued throughout the night. By the end, Gerrit Cole threw 72 pitches in just 4 innings and gave away 7 hits, 6 runs, and 4 walks. Shockingly, the Cy Young winner couldn’t strike out any batter – only the second time in his career. But Cole’s drop in velocity is a concerning thing. 

However, if one goes by Gerrit Cole’s words, that may have been an intentional thing. He hinted at possible sustainability issues that he still has to overcome after the game.

Gerrit Cole struggles but there’s a silver lining 

Cole’s performance wasn’t impressive, and his direction was lost. The first inning was encouraging. Though it lasted for an unusually high 28 pitches, Cole entered into it swinging with multiple 97-98 mph pitches. That showed that he still has his trademark power with him. The issue lies in the long-term use of it. As Cole mentioned post-game, he knows he can’t sustain that pace right now.

“I was very encouraged by the first inning,” Cole said per New York Post. “That was free and easy. But there’s a certain point where it’s like, my objective is to get deep into the ballgame and I’m not quite sure I’m ready to just keep sitting 97-99. And we’re not in the strike zone enough with it.” 

However, one needs to remember this was only the second game of Cole. The New York Yankees ace missed the entire Spring Training and is still building himself up. As a result, there’s more time needed to fully understand the depth of Cole’s recovery. However, Aaron Boone remains full of belief and thinks Cole can find a way. “As he builds up here, it’s finding those gears,” Aaron Boone said. “When you are less, you gotta get it to the spots you want to get it to.” But can he find it? That’s a big question.