Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole dazzles once again in second start of 2026

The New York Yankees have been dominant thus far in 2026, in every sense of the word. The hitting has been stellar, and the pitching has been, at times, unbelievable. And that was before they got back their star pitcher in the rotation. 

Gerrit Cole, the ace of this rotation, was back with his second start of the season against the Kansas City Royals. There was one word to describe this, too: precision.

It was a 7-0 shutdown, which now gives the Bronx Bombers a 14-game win streak against the Royals. Cole pitched 6.2 innings of great baseball, allowing four hits and shutting them out. He sat down 10 batters on 79 pitches in the contest, which is about as precise and lethal as you can be. 

Cole picked up his first win of the season, which is now his 60th win as a Yankee, which is one more than any other team he has played for. He also had 59 wins with the Pittsburgh Pirates at the beginning of his career. 

This 10-strikeout masterpiece is a great sign for the Yankees that Cole is back and at 100%. With Max Fried still on the sidelines, No. 45 is going to be heavily relied on here. Fried is close to getting back to game speed, as he has started throwing, according to Randy Miller of NJ.com.

For his first two starts in over a season and change, Cole has not lost a step. The Yankees are going to need their ace, as the Tampa Bay Rays continue to hold true as the top team in the AL East. 

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