Gerrit Cole returns in Yankees loss

Gerrit Cole gave the Yankees exactly the kind of start they had waited months to see on May 22: six scoreless innings in his first major league outing since reconstructive elbow surgery. The right-hander allowed two hits, struck out two and walked none against the Rays, according to MLB.com and the Associated Press. New York still lost 4-2 at Yankee Stadium after Tampa Bay scored four times in the eighth inning. The result left the Yankees with a strong return from their ace and another loss in a tightening American League East race. ### How long had Cole been out before this start? Gerrit Cole had not pitched in a major league game for 569 days before taking the mound Friday, the Associated Press reported. His return came after Tommy John surgery, with MLB.com describing the outing as his 2026 debut and his first outing of the season. (mlb.com) MLB.com said Cole looked much like the pitcher the Yankees expected, working six shutout innings and leaving with a 1-0 lead. The Yankees got that run on Austin Wells’ fifth-inning homer off Nick Martinez. ### What did Cole actually look like on the mound? Cole threw six shutout innings, gave up two hits and did not issue a walk, MLB.com and the AP said. (usnews.com) MLB.com’s game coverage said he struck out two batters in his first outing of the season. Aaron Boone said after the game that the loss dulled the mood around the return. “With what we’re going through, you hate losing the game,” Boone said, according to MLB.com. (mlb.com) ### How did the game flip after Cole left? Tampa Bay turned the game in the eighth inning, scoring four runs after Cole exited with New York ahead 1-0. (mlb.com) MLB.com said the Rays’ rally pushed them to their fifth straight win, while the AP said the comeback gave Tampa Bay a 5 1/2-game lead over New York in the division and improved the Rays to 4-0 against the Yankees. (mlb.com) The Yankees answered with one run in the bottom of the eighth, but Aaron Judge went 0 for 4 and ended the game with a flyout to the center-field warning track, the AP reported. The AP also said Judge was in a 1-for-24 slide and had gone a career-high 11 games without an RBI. ### What did the loss say about where the Yankees stood? (mlb.com) New York had lost three straight games and 10 of 14 after Friday’s defeat, according to MLB.com and the AP. MLB.com said the Rays were 22-4 in their last 26 games, tying a franchise record for that span. USA Today described the night as a long-anticipated return that still ended with the Yankees unable to stop Tampa Bay. (abcnews.com) That split outcome — Cole’s clean line and the bullpen collapse — was the central fact of the game. ### What comes next in the series? (mlb.com) The Rays and Yankees were scheduled to continue the series at Yankee Stadium on May 23. ESPN’s game listings and MLB’s coverage placed the May 22 game in an ongoing divisional set between the clubs. Tampa Bay entered the rest of the series with the major leagues’ best record at 34-15, the AP said, while New York was trying to halt a slide that had widened the gap in the AL East. (usatoday.com) (abcnews.com) (espn.com)