Gerrit Cole suffers poor outing against Mets; seven home runs in two starts

Saturday’s start against the New York Mets was difficult for Yankees starter Gerrit Cole. The Mets hit home runs in the first, second and third innings through Francisco Lindor, Luis Torrens and Carson Benge; Lindor and Benge hit solo shots, while Torrens hit a two-run homer with two outs. Cole faced trouble again in the fifth, when a Benge double drove in an RBI that made it 5-1 and manager Aaron Boone took him out of the game.

As reported by Bleacher Report, this episode continues Cole’s problems, as just a week earlier he had allowed three straight home runs against the San Diego Padres — from Fernando Tatis Jr., Jake Cronenworth and Manny Machado — and later a solo homer from Jorge Campusano in the following Saturday, finishing with seven home runs allowed in a combined 9.1 innings.

Cole, 36, is a six-time All-Star, two-time American League ERA leader and 2023 Cy Young winner. After Tommy John surgery that kept him out for all of the 2025 season, he returned on May 22. His career this season has swung from good stretches — including 12.2 scoreless innings against the Tampa Bay Rays and Kansas City Royals early on — to difficult ones: a nine-game series in which he allowed 11 homers and had a 4.93 ERA, and then a six-game stretch with a 1.96 ERA, only two homers allowed and 39 strikeouts against nine walks. September has been difficult, including a start against the Los Angeles Angels in which he allowed three earned runs and eight hits in 5.1 innings.

Cole’s next turn is scheduled for Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. According to Bleacher Report, recent performances, with seven home runs allowed in two starts, have highlighted concerns about his form that will need improvement in upcoming games.

Source: Bleacher Report