In Photos: Carlos Rodon's wife Ashley gets emotional over heartfelt birthday surprise from Yankees ace's better-half Amy Cole

While each has dealt with challenges over the past year, Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon are still members of one of the most effective rotations in baseball. Recently, their wives showed how deep the ties between the two are.

On Monday, Amy Cole, wife of Gerrit, wished Ashley Rodon a happy birthday on Instagram. Evidently moved by the gesture, Rodon shared how Amy had brought her a cake and gifted her a bracelet that she described as "the sweetest gift ever."

Ashley Rodon was moved by Amy Cole's birthday considerations for her

Both Ashley Rodon and Amy Cole take pride in philanthropic pursuits and have built their friendship based on those shared values. Carlos and Ashley administer the Rodon Foundation for conceptive care, while Amy and Gerrit's eponymously named foundation contributes to Pediatric Cancer Research.

Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon are members of the New York Yankees' pitching rotation. Cole, who won the 2023 AL Cy Young Award, has been out since the end of March dealing with elbow issues. He made his return to MLB on Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles.

Rodon is one of the Yankees' best pitchers this season. After signing a six-year, $162 million contract with the Yankees ahead of last season, the former Cy Young contender suffered an injury in spring training. It was July before Rodon could make his season debut, and he ended up 3-8 with a 6.85 ERA.

This season, Carlos Rodon is pitching much better for the New York Yankees. In 16 starts, the 31-year-old is 9-3 with a 3.86 ERA with 84 strikeouts through 88 innings.

Carlos Rodon and Gerrit Cole have a lot in common

The friendship evidenced by Ashley Rodon and Amy Cole is clearly a result of their husbands also seeing eye-to-eye, but also of their commitments to charity and their families.

As Rodon told YES Network during spring training about his relationship with Gerrit Cole:

"He's always special out there. It's always something good to have as a teammate, but also a friend"

Now that the Yankees are second only to the Philadelphia Phillies in terms of team ERA, expect Cole and Rodon to bond over elevating their pitching performances.