Gerrit Cole Yields Three Home Runs in Shortest Start Since June

Gerrit Cole allowed five runs on nine hits over 4⅓ innings as the New York Mets defeated the New York Yankees 12-2 on Saturday.

The New York Mets defeated the New York Yankees 12-2 on Saturday as right-hander Gerrit Cole allowed five runs on nine hits across 4⅓ innings. Francisco Lindor opened the scoring with a leadoff home run, followed by a two-run shot from Luis Torrens in the second and a solo homer by Carson Benge in the third. Benge later chased Cole from the game with an RBI single in the fifth inning.

Cole has now surrendered seven home runs over his last two starts, the highest total in a two-game span during his career. Despite his four-seam fastball reaching 98.7 mph and averaging 96.9 mph on Saturday, the 36-year-old induced only three whiffs on 40 swings. None of those swings and misses came against his fastball. His season whiff rate has dropped to 22.3%, falling below the league average of 25%.

Saturday's performance resulted in a 7.28 career ERA for Cole against the Mets, his highest mark against any opponent. It also marked his shortest outing since a four-inning appearance in early June. The loss prevented the Yankees from clinching a postseason berth, which required a victory and a Toronto Blue Jays loss. Cole, who has logged 115⅓ innings in 20th starts this year, stated he felt physically healthy and that a tired arm was not the cause of the results.