Yesterday Gerrit Cole made his instructional league debut, which was also his pro debut. I didn’t get a chance to see the outing live, as I was driving down to Florida at the time. However, I did receive a few reports on the outing today, including some thoughts from Cole himself.
Cole ended up throwing four shutout innings, allowing one hit, one walk, and striking out seven. Cole was working around 98-99 MPH, and added velocity as the start went on, which is typical for him. It was his first start against another team since early June when he finished his 2011 season and career with UCLA.
“It was exciting,” Cole said about the start and the long layoff. “It’s unfortunate that you have to wait that long.”
Cole will throw a bullpen session tomorrow, and should make a few more starts before heading to the Arizona Fall League. His next scheduled start is Monday.
