WATCH: Yankees ace Gerrit Cole gives adorable head nod to son Caden cheering from stands in dad's jersey

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole was back at the mound for the AL East division leaders on Wednesday. This was his first game pitching in the 2024 season since missing almost two months from the opening day due to nerve tension in his pitching arm, which he sustained during spring training.

Cole was happy to be back doing what he does best and even shared an adorable moment with his son Caden, who was in the stands with his mom, Amy Cole, cheering on his dad. Gerrit Cole gave an adorable head nod to his son as Caden got excited looking at his father in the Yankees dugout.

After years of knowing and dating each other, Gerrit married Amy Crawford on November 12, 2016, at the Ritz Carlton in Santa Barbara, California. Almost three years after their marriage, the couple welcomed their first son, Caden Gerrit Cole, on June 30, 2020. Talking about his son, Gerrit said:

"He's a good mix of his dad and his mom. He's absolutely adorable. He's got big blue eyes and gosh, I just can't stop staring at him."

The couple has another kid, a son named Everett Cole, who was born on January 2, 2023. Gerrit met Amy on the grounds of the University of California, Los Angeles. While Amy won the 2010 Women's College World Series with the UCLA Bruins, Gerrit came out of the blocks as the most talented up-and-coming collegiate baseball pitcher in America.

Soon, Cole's hard work paid off, as he was selected as the first overall pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2011 MLB draft. The 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner spent five seasons with the Pirates before moving to Houston to play for the Astros for two seasons and finally signing a record-breaking $324 million contract over nine years with the NY Yankees.

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole pitched four innings in season debut at Yankee Stadium

NY Yankees ace Gerrit Cole made his 2024 season debut against reigning AL East champions the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday. Cole gave up two runs on three hits, walked one, and struck out five batters in four innings pitched against a gritty Orioles unit on Wednesday.

Cole is stipulated to make his next start in the Subway series opener against the New York Mets at Citi Field on June 25, 2024.