TAMPA – After expressing concern about feeling the new baseballs that the MLB is using this season, Gerrit Cole said there was not much difference from what he was used to on his first start in the spring of Monday.
Asked if he could tell the difference, the right-hand man said: “Not much. … I didn’t notice anything. “
Gary Sanchez agreed.
“I didn’t notice any changes,” said Sanchez through an interpreter after making a 5-4 big homer in the Yankees, in the seven-point victory over Detroit at George M. Steinbrenner Field. “If you hit the ball well and find the barrel, it will travel well.”
While the ball looked good for Cole, his results in his first action in the spring were mixed, but he was not concerned after allowing a run in three strokes in a 28-shot inning in which he threw 15 strokes.
“I was comfortable out there, trying to get in a few shots,” said Cole. “My location was not exactly where it should be.”
He added that he left the tour “feeling good” physically and that he would try to “clean up” his pitch line in his next match, which Aaron Boone said would probably be with Kyle Higashioka behind the plate, since the manager wants all of his pitchers to launch to several catchers over the spring.
Cole’s speed was solid and Boone called his ace’s brief performance “very good”.
Derek Dietrich, at camp for a minor league contract, started on third base on Monday and hopes his left-handed power will give him a chance to play in the Bronx, where he is confident his swing will do well thanks to small entry in the field right.
Dietrich said that, over the years, “his power of attraction with his left hand would definitely be rewarded at Yankee Stadium. It’s always something I’ve been thinking about. “
In addition to playing in third, Dietrich said he is “more comfortable” on second base, occupied by DJ LeMahieu. He is also able to play on first base and off-field points.
“I’ve always been a versatile player,” said Dietrich. “A Swiss army knife to put my staff on the lineup.”
Dietrich spent the first six seasons of his career with the Marlins, most of them with Giancarlo Stanton.
“The guy is an absolute beast,” said Dietrich. “He obviously matured as a player, just like anyone with experience.”
The two trained together in Miami in the off-season and Dietrich said Stanton “works more than anyone I’ve ever played with”.
And with Stanton finally looking to stay healthy, Dietrich added “when he’s clicking and he’s consistent and on the pitch, he’s absolutely the best player on the pitch.”
Jay Bruce, another field veteran in a minor league deal, made a good run by running near the alert lane in the left field. … Aaron Hicks continued where he left off a year ago, walking through each of his two plate appearances. … Sanchez did not have the only big blow of the afternoon for the Yankees. Chris Gittens, a 27-year-old outfielder, cleared the score in the center left with his grand slam in the fifth. Gittens hit 23 homers for Double-A Trenton in 2019.
Boone and Detroit manager AJ Hinch met on the home plate before Monday’s game and Hinch