"This is a June 1st lineup" - Yankees fans ecstatic as team announces star studded lineup with Gerrit Cole starting

Of all the downsides experienced by the Yankees last season, Gerrit Cole was not one of them. The experienced starter put forth a masterclass in pitching, and won the AL Cy Young Award by a wide margin.

Despite the Yankees narrowly missing their first last-place divisional finish since 1990, Cole was on fire. The right-hander went 15-4, and led the AL in ERA with a 2.63 figure, as well as innings pitched with 209. Needless to say, Yankees fans are thirsting to see Cole back in action.

On March 1, that is exactly what fans got. After word surfaced that Gerrit Cole would be making his first start of spring training, fans took to social media to share their excitement.

"It's Cole Bump Day" - New York Yankees

Fittingly, Cole will get the ball as the Yankees take on the Toronto Blue Jays, a divisional foe. Last year, Cole and Jays starter Alek Manoah began to beef after the latter dubbed Cole the "biggest cheater in baseball." In 2023, Gerrit Cole went 2-0 against the Jays, registering a 0.31 ERA across 28.2 innings.

In addition to Cole's presence on the mound, the March 1 lineup had New York Yankees fans buzzing. Many of the comments believed the lineup to be befitting of a regular season game, complete with young talent like Oswaldo Cabrera and Everson Pereira.

Although his 2023 performance was enough to win him the league's top pitching honor, for Cole, it was a long time coming. Since making his MLB debut as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cole has finished in the top five in Cy Young voting a total of six times, with a second-place finish coming on account of his stellar 2021 season.

Gerrit Cole's perfectionism remains his biggest asset

Known for his intensity and propensity for perfectionism, Cole often asks a lot of his catchers. For the game against the Jays, young backstop Austin Wells will catch Cole for the first time in his career. Though catching a Cy Young hurler can be a tall task for a young catcher, Wells welcomes the challenge, claiming, "“I started last year, just picking his brain, making sure to be as attentive as possible when he’s pitching."

Cole may not be the most orthodox pitcher, but his unique style and approach has certainly yielded results. As long as the California-native continues to be as hard on himself as he has been, Yankees fans can expect more of the same elite performances from him.