Yankees waste Gerrit Cole’s dazzling return in loss to Rays as AL East deficit keeps growing
The New York Yankees lost to the Tampa Bay Rays 4-2, despite a strong return from pitcher Gerrit Cole. Cole pitched six scoreless innings in his first game back after Tommy John surgery, but the Yankees' lineup struggled to produce runs. This defeat marked the Yankees' third consecutive loss, leaving them 5.5 games behind the Rays in the AL East standings.
- ▪Gerrit Cole returned from Tommy John surgery and pitched six scoreless innings.
- ▪The Yankees' lineup was largely unproductive, scoring only two runs.
- ▪Tim Hill's poor performance in the eighth inning allowed the Rays to score four runs and take the lead.
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MLB New York Yankees Yankees waste Gerrit Cole’s dazzling return in loss to Rays as AL East deficit keeps growing By Dan Martin Published May 22, 2026, 10:12 p.m. ET See more of our coverage in your search results. Add The New York Post on Google Even a near-vintage performance from Gerrit Cole in his return wasn’t enough to prevent the Yankees from losing their third straight and falling a season-high 5 ½ games back of the Rays. Access the Yankees beat like never before Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Greg Joyce about the inside buzz on the Yankees. Try it free The Yankees wasted six scoreless innings from their ace in his first outing after recovering from March 2025 Tommy John surgery in a 4-2 loss to Tampa Bay in The Bronx.
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