TAMPA – After expressing concern about learning about the new baseball MLB is using this season, Gerrit Cole said there wasn’t much difference from what he’s used to on his first start Monday in the spring.
Asked if he could differentiate, the right-hander said: “Not much. … I didn’t notice anything. “
Gary Sanchez agreed.
“I haven’t noticed any change,” Sanchez said through an interpreter after throwing a massive homer to the Yankees 5-4, a seven-inning win over Detroit at George M. Steinbrenner Field. “If you hit the ball well and find the cannon, it will travel well.”
Although the ball looked good to Cole, his results in his first action of the spring were mixed, but he didn’t worry after allowing himself to run three times in a 28-inning in which he threw 15 cops.
“I felt comfortable out there, trying to settle into some releases,” Cole said. “My location wasn’t exactly where I should be.”
He added that he came out of the exit “feeling good” physically and that he would try to “clean up” his launch line on his next outing, which Aaron Boone said he would probably be with Kyle Higashioka behind the plate as the manager wants all of his pitchers to pitch them to multiple pickers throughout the spring.
Cole’s speed was solid and Boone said his ace’s brief performance was “very good”.
Derek Dietrich, on the field for a minor league deal, started Monday at third base and hopes his left-handed power will give him a chance to play in the Bronx, where he is confident his swing will work well thanks to the short porch in the right field.
Dietrich said over the years he has been told that his “left-wing power would definitely be rewarded at Yankee Stadium. I’ve always thought of something.”
In addition to playing third, Dietrich said he is the “most comfortable” at second base, which occupies DJ LeMahieu. He is also able to play at first base and corner positions.
“I’ve always been a versatile player,” Dietrich said. “A Swiss Army Knife to Get My Bat in Training.”
Dietrich spent the first six seasons of his career with the Marlins, most with Giancarlo Stanton.
“The boy is an absolute beast,” Dietrich said. “Obviously, he’s matured as a player, like anyone with experience.”
The two have trained together in Miami during the offseason and Dietrich said Stanton “works harder than almost anyone I’ve ever played with.”
And with Stanton finally looking to stay healthy, Dietrich added “when he clicks and is consistent and on the field, he’s absolutely the best player on the field.”
Jay Bruce, another field veteran for a minor league deal, made a good catch near the warning court on the left field. … Aaron Hicks came out where he left off a year ago, walking into each of his two plate appearances. … Sanchez didn’t have the only huge blow of the afternoon for the Yankees. Chris Gittens, a 27-year-old camper, overflowed the scoreboard in the center left with his grand slam in the fifth. Gittens hit 23 homers for Double-A Trenton in 2019.
Boone and Detroit coach AJ Hinch met at home before Monday’s game and Hinch