The last time Gerrit Cole had stepped atop a major league mound, he put the finishing touches on a masterpiece of a season for him personally and a disaster of a season otherwise.
Back on Sept. 27, Cole twirled a two-hitter, shutting out the Blue Jays over nine innings, in a campaign that would end four days later.
The Yankees were in the gutter and far removed from a playoff spot, so all Cole was pitching for was an elusive Cy Young Award, which finally was not so elusive.
A lot changed in the 266 days between starts, among them Cole’s warmup song.
In his long-awaited season debut, the ace chose a melodic tune from Rüfüs Du Sol with an appropriate refrain: “There’s no place I’d rather be.”
After missing nearly the first 12 weeks of the season with nerve inflammation and edema, Cole finally was back where he belonged.
The star right-hander made a successful 2024 debut Wednesday when Cole mostly looked like Cole.
In four-plus innings against the Orioles in The Bronx, Cole was charged with two runs on three hits, a walk while striking out five.
He was hit hard in the first inning — when a Gunner Henderson smash glanced off Gleyber Torres’ glove and went for a double, and Henderson came around to score on a Ryan O’Hearn double — but he got stronger as the night wore on.
Five of his six outs in the third and fourth innings came via strikeouts.
But Cole, who made just three minor league rehab starts, is still building up.
He took the mound for the fifth inning but was allowed just one pitch, a Cedric Mullins single to left field.
He walked off after 62 pitches to loud cheers, but silence soon followed: Ron Marinaccio entered and allowed a two-run home run to Ramón Urías that put the Yankees in a 3-1 hole.