The New York Yankees are coming off a dominant Wild Card Series in which they beat the Boston Red Sox in two games and outscored them 18-2 across the two wins.
On Saturday, New York will begin its best-of-five ALDS against the No. 1-seeded Tampa Bay Rays, with the first two games taking place at Tropicana Field.
Ahead of Game 1, the Yankees made a notable announcement on Friday morning.
Yankees Announce Gerrit Cole News
In fairly expected fashion. The Yankees officially announced that veteran right-handed pitcher Gerrit Cole will start Game 1 on Saturday evening.
New York elected to pitch RHP Cam Schlittler and LHP Max Fried in its two Wild Card games, making Cole and LHP Carlos Rodón the candidates to get the nod in Game 1 of the ALDS.
“The Cole Train comes to Tampa for ALDS Game 1,” the Yankees posted on X.
The Cole Train comes to Tampa for ALDS Game 1 🚂#RepBX pic.twitter.com/uTSBdY0ba3
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 2, 2026
Cole’s 2026 Season
While Cole began the year on the IL as he recovered from Tommy John surgery last season. He has been one of the anchors of a New York rotation that has been among the best in baseball.
He made 22 starts in 2026 and posted a 10-9 record with a 3.61 ERA, 131 strikeouts and a 1.102 WHIP across 127 innings.
Not to mention, Cole has plenty of postseason experience throughout his 13-year MLB career. Which makes him an ideal pitcher to roll out for New York as they try to secure an early series win.
Who Will Start Game 2?
This likely depends on whether the Yankees win or lose. Game 2 is set to be played Monday, so they’ll have that extra day off.
Right now, it seems like Schlittler would get the nod for Game 2, as he pitched Tuesday and would be on six days of rest.
That would then set up Fried to start Wednesday. In this scenario, New York going with a three-man rotation would mean Rodón would remain in the bullpen.
New York Yankees Announce Gerrit Cole News Ahead of ALDS vs. Rays