Yankees win rain-shortened opener as Gerrit Cole thrives in debut

WASHINGTON — What Hal Steinbrenner dreamed of when he dropped an ocean of money on Gerrit Cole in December came to life Thursday on a stormy late July evening.

Nothing about this baseball season has been normal. Spring training vanished in the middle of March due to the coronavirus and the invisible COVID-19 dances into every walk of life. New rules were introduced and protocols became as popular as three-run homers. Opening Day, a staple of late March or early April, was Thursday night with Cole against Nationals ace Max Scherzer in front of empty seats at Nationals Park.

The early exception to nothing being normal is Cole, who hurled the Yankees to a rain-shortened 4-1 victory in his debut and rewarded Steinbrenner for authorizing a nine-year deal for a whopping $324 million to sign the free agent.

Who knows what is next for the ever-changing MLB landscape due to COVID-19, which put 21-year-old Nationals star Juan Soto on the bench Thursday. But for one night, baseball came out of mothballs and Cole drove the bus for the team he grew up rooting for in Southern California.

“I was so excited. I was walking through the clubhouse before and I saw a bunch of guys in Yankees uniforms and it hit me that this is for real,’’ said Cole, who admitted to having a case of nerves before dominating the defending World Series champs.

In five innings, Cole gave up a run, a hit, issued a walk and fanned five. The final out was Victor Robles looking at a 2-2 strike that pushed the speed gun to 98 mph and was the last of Cole’s 75 pitches, 46 of which were strikes.

A wicked storm lit up the District and the lightning was escorted by ear-splitting thunder before the sky cried a river of water into the mix and the game was stopped with the Yankees at bat in the sixth against Scherzer. One hour and 58 minutes later, the game was called.

Giancarlo Stanton’s two-run homer off Scherzer in the first inning staked Cole to a lead he didn’t release. Aaron Judge added an RBI double off Scherzer in the third and Stanton added a two-out RBI single in the fifth.

Most impressive was Cole getting outs when trailing in the count. Trea Turner, the first batter Cole faced as a Yankee, flied to right on a 3-1 pitch in the opening inning. Kurt Suzuki opened the second with a fly to right on a 2-0 pitch. Howie Kendrick hit a soft liner on a 3-1 pitch in the fourth and Suzuki popped to right on a 2-1 pitch in the fifth.

After Eaton’s first-inning home run cleared the right-field wall and reduced the Yankees’ lead to 2-1, Cole retired 14 of the next 16 Nationals and didn’t allow a hit. Eric Thames was hit by a pitch starting the second and Cole walked Asdrubal Cabrera with one out in the fifth.

“It was a lot of fun,’’ Cole said of pitching for the team he dreamed of playing for. “No one could envision the type of year we are having this year. But within those parameters I just had a blast.’’

Cole could get 11 more starts across the next 59 games for the Yankees. Not all are going to be as crisp as Thursday night, but the electrifying stuff combined with a thirst for information gives Cole an advantage not every elite pitcher has.

For one night, Steinbrenner got a glimpse of what results that colossal check might deliver.