The New York Yankees‘ season concluded exactly one week ago when the Tampa Bay Rays officially swept them in the NLDS.
The loss extended the Yankees’ streak without a World Series title to 17 seasons and marked the end of veteran right-handed pitcher Gerrit Cole’s 13th season in the league.
This was a big year for Cole after he missed a large portion of the beginning of the year and all of last season following Tommy John surgery in 2024.
Although it took some time, Cole put together a stellar 2026 campaign, posting a 10-9 record with a 3.61 ERA, 99 strikeouts and a 1.102 WHIP across 22 starts and 127 innings.
Cole Receives Major Personal News
On Wednesday, with the Yankees beginning their offseason, Cole received recognition for a prestigious personal honor announced by the MLBPA.
The MLBPA named Cole one of the finalists for the American League Comeback Player of the Year Award. The other two candidates were Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez and Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout.
The National League finalists included three pitchers: Sandy Alcantara of the Miami Marlins, Martin Perez of the Atlanta Braves and Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Congratulations to the Players Choice Awards AL & NL Comeback Player Finalists!
AL
🔷 Yordan Álvarez
🔷 Gerrit Cole
🔷 Mike TroutNL
♦️Sandy Alcantara
♦️Martín Pérez
♦️Zack Wheeler https://t.co/PhbNaY4egg— MLBPA (@MLBPA) October 14, 2026
Cole’s MLB Career
This would be Cole’s first Comeback Player of the Year Award in his decade-plus career, which has spanned three teams.
Cole has spent the last six seasons with the Yankees. He began his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he spent five years, before joining the Houston Astros for two seasons.
Throughout his career, Cole has earned six All-Star selections, won a Cy Young Award and claimed the ERA title twice.
Gerrit Cole Receives Major Personal News After Yankees’ Playoff Exit