Frustrating Gerrit Cole explanation for low velocity is actually small consolation after Mets beatdown

The Subway Series is serious business among New York baseball fans. Bragging rights are at stake, and excuses aren't tolerated, which is why Yankees fans are not interested in hearing Gerrit Cole's explanation for why he got shelled by the Mets last night.

The Mets' bats, which have recently been imbued with Grimace-inspired superpowers, got to Cole early and often last night, battering the Yanks' erstwhile ace for six runs in four laborious innings of work. Mark Vientos continued his recent power surge with homers in his first two at-bats, while Brandon Nimmo and Harrison Bader also went deep.

Cole threw 72 pitches, including 28 in a first inning that he was lucky to escape relatively unscathed when Pete Alonso was thrown out at home for the third out. In the end, Cole left the game with the Yankees in a 6-0 hole, and even a late Aaron Judge grand slam wasn't enough to erase the deficit. The Mets picked up the 9-7 win.

Cole walked four batters and didn't manage a single strikeout for only the second time in his career. His fastball velocity, which when healthy borders on 100 mph, was around 92 mph for most of the night. This caused a bit of a freak-out from Yankees fans, who thought the velocity dip was a sign that Cole was either still injured, or had re-injured himself in just his second start of the year.

Thankfully, Cole put those worries to rest after the game.

Yankees fans will be glad to know that Gerrit Cole isn't hurt, but the pain of losing to the Mets still stings

Cole's explanation is understandable as he works his way back from the elbow nerve inflammation that has kept him out for the first two-and-a-half months of the season. Still, with each passing bad start, the more Yankees fans will be worried.

Even without their ace for the start of the season, the Yankees are currently tied for the most wins in baseball thanks to the emergence of Luis Gil as a true Cy Young contender, the resurrection of Carlos Rodon after his abysmal 2023 season, and the 1-2 punch of Juan Soto and Aaron Judge.

To really contend for the franchise's first World Series title since 2009, though, a healthy and productive Cole will be essential. Cole has recorded a 9.00 ERA, a 1.88 WHIP, five strikeouts, and five walks in 8.0 innings (four starts).

These are big picture concerns, though, and Yankees fans have more local issues on their mind at the moment. That's what getting battered by the Subway Series' little brother will do. So while Yankees fans will breathe a sigh of relief that Cole seems OK, they won't actually feel better unless they can even the score against the Mets when the two teams meet again tonight.