The New York Yankees will look to bounce back after dropping two of three to the Padres in San Diego over the weekend, when they face the 55-88 Colorado Rockies at Yankee Stadium Tuesday night.
New York’s 25-year-old Cy Young Award candidate Cam Schlittler takes the mound in an attempt to get the Yankees back on track after they dropped two of three in San Diego.
Before the Rockies game, the Yankees took a moment to make an announcement on some personal news regarding a former Cy Young winner in their starting rotation.
Yankees Celebrate Gerrit Cole’s Birthday Tuesday
Gerrit Cole turned 36 years old on Tuesday, Sept. 8, and the New York Yankees marked the occasion with an official social media tribute to their $324 million right-hander. FanDuel and other outlets joined in, touting his Cy Young and All-Star credentials in a season the Yankees ace has spent rebuilding his career after a lengthy injury absence.
Born September 8, 1990, in Newport Beach, California, Gerrit Alan Cole, known inside the Yankees clubhouse as Chef G, grew into a 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-hander at Orange Lutheran High School before three standout seasons at UCLA. The Yankees drafted him 28th overall in 2008, but he chose college instead. Pittsburgh made him the No. 1 overall pick in 2011, and he debuted in the majors on June 11, 2013.
Cole’s path to the Bronx ran through Pittsburgh from 2013 to 2017 and Houston from 2018 to 2019 before New York signed him to a nine-year, $324 million deal in December 2019, one of the largest contracts ever given a pitcher. He has made 336 career starts, compiling a 161-88 career record with a 3.19 ERA and 2,364 strikeouts across 2,065 innings.
Cole won the American League Cy Young Award unanimously in 2023, earned six All-Star selections and three All-MLB First Team nods, and has twice led the league in both ERA and strikeouts. His 161st career win, recorded Sept. 1 against the Los Angeles Angels, tied Mike Moore for the most by any pitcher ever drafted first overall.
Gerrit Cole’s Long Road Back From Surgery
Cole battled elbow inflammation through 2024 before undergoing Tommy John surgery with an internal brace in March 2025, wiping out his entire season. He opened 2026 on the injured list again, rehabbing at High-A Hudson Valley, Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before the Yankees activated him on May 22.
Cole tossed six scoreless innings in his return against Tampa Bay, then followed five days later with six-and-two-thirds scoreless innings and 10 strikeouts at Kansas City. Sports Illustrated detailed a reworked pitching delivery leaning on a heavier changeup and a three-pitch fastball mix of four-seamer, sinker and cutter.
| NEW YORK YANKEES — REMAINING 2026 SCHEDULE | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Opponent | H/A | Time (ET) | Network | NYY Starter |
| vs. Colorado Rockies | |||||
| Tue, Sep 8 | Colorado | Home | 7:05 PM | MLB.tv | Schlittler |
| Wed, Sep 9 | Colorado | Home | 7:05 PM | MLB.tv | Fried |
| Thu, Sep 10 | Colorado | Home | 7:05 PM | MLB.tv | Rodón |
| vs. New York Mets | |||||
| Fri, Sep 11 | New York Mets | Home | 7:05 PM | ESPN Unlimited / MLB.tv | Cole |
| Sat, Sep 12 | New York Mets | Home | 1:35 PM | MLB.tv / MLB Network | Warren |
| Sun, Sep 13 | New York Mets | Home | 1:35 PM | MLB.tv | Schlittler |
| @ Minnesota Twins | |||||
| Mon, Sep 14 | @ Minnesota | Away | 7:40 PM | MLB.tv | Fried |
| Tue, Sep 15 | @ Minnesota | Away | 7:40 PM | MLB.tv | Rodón |
| Wed, Sep 16 | @ Minnesota | Away | 1:40 PM | MLB.tv | Cole |
| @ Arizona Diamondbacks | |||||
| Fri, Sep 18 | @ Arizona | Away | 9:40 PM | MLB.tv | Warren |
| Sat, Sep 19 | @ Arizona | Away | 8:10 PM | MLB.tv | — |
| Sun, Sep 20 | @ Arizona | Away | 4:10 PM | MLB.tv | — |
| vs. Tampa Bay Rays | |||||
| Tue, Sep 22 | Tampa Bay (DH, Game 1) | Home | 1:05 PM | ESPN Unlimited / MLB.tv | — |
| Tue, Sep 22 | Tampa Bay (DH, Game 2) | Home | 7:05 PM | MLB.tv | — |
| Wed, Sep 23 | Tampa Bay | Home | 7:05 PM | MLB.tv / Prime Video | — |
| Thu, Sep 24 | Tampa Bay | Home | 7:05 PM | MLB.tv | — |
| vs. Baltimore Orioles | |||||
| Fri, Sep 25 | Baltimore | Home | 7:05 PM | MLB.tv | — |
| Sat, Sep 26 | Baltimore | Home | 7:15 PM | MLB.tv / FOX | — |
| Sun, Sep 27 | Baltimore | Home | 1:35 PM | MLB.tv | — |
| All times Eastern. Home games at Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY. Sep 22 is a doubleheader vs. Tampa Bay. Starters listed where confirmed in source. — = not yet announced. | |||||
New York Yankees Ace Gerrit Cole’s 2026 Season Numbers
Nineteen starts into his return, Cole sits at 8-8 with a 3.41 ERA over 111 innings, striking out 113 batters against just 22 walks, a strikeout rate over nine per nine innings and a walk rate under two, numbers that still rank among the American League’s stingier marks.
The results have been uneven lately. Cole allowed home runs to the first three San Diego batters he faced in a Sept. 6 loss, amazingly the second time in his career he has opened a game giving up back-to-back-to-back home runs, after a strong turn against the Angels produced his milestone win. He has been sharper at home, posting a 3.35 ERA in eight starts at Yankee Stadium compared with 3.45 on the road, and has gone 4-3 with a 3.14 ERA over his last seven outings.
The Yankees host Colorado on Tuesday night, but Cole is not listed as the probable starter. He will spend his birthday watching from the dugout, six years into a nine-year contract and deep into proving he still belongs atop a rotation.
Yankees Announce Gerrit Cole Personal News Before Rockies Game