Daily Report – 3/19/26
Yankees
As a Yankees fan, very few things are as refreshing as watching Gerrit Cole reach 98.7 mph on his fastball. 372 days before the Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 1-0 yesterday, Cole tore his UCL. It was difficult for him, of course, to accept the reality of his injury, especially after leaving it all out on the field, but to no avail, in Game 5 of the 2024 World Series.
But Cole is nothing if not resilient. The best pitchers in baseball have to be mentally tough at all times, especially when it comes to Tommy John surgery. Perhaps as soon as mid-May, Cole could return to a regular-season Major League mound. For now, the scoreless, 10-pitch inning he twirled yesterday is worth celebrating.
Flashing a new over-the-head delivery, Cole averaged 97.1 mph on his fastball. He was all over the strike zone, fitting in a slider and his signature knuckle curve. He was sent running after hurling his first pitch because Braiden Ward bunted down the first-base line, and Cole slid to attempt the throw.
That was probably when reality hit. Cole was back.
“It was a special day for me,” Cole said. “Getting to compete again and feel the support from the crowd. That feels good.”
Cole has a knack for regulating his emotions, but I’d argue that “good” should be changed to “great,” or even “amazing,” because 372 days is a long time. He probably had his return date circled on his calendar for months, if not an entire year. It’s the image pitchers imagine while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery: The day they return to the mound.
“He looked strong, poised,” Aaron Boone said of Cole. “Almost made a really good play right out of the chute that you kind of hold your breath on, but he got right into the mix.”
“I’m sure he scared everyone in the whole stadium when he went sliding on the first pitch he’s thrown since being back,” added Austin Wells, whom the World Baseball Classic recognized as the tournament’s best catcher. “But I loved the effort.”
Boone has indicated that he plans to rotate between three catchers this season, all left-handed: Wells, Ben Rice, and JC Escarra. Rice is also slated to be the team’s primary first baseman, but with Paul Goldschmidt on the roster, he won’t be manning that spot consistently.
Having two left-handed catchers on one roster is already risky enough; going with three is riskier. There isn’t an available platoon option, and the Yankees have already admitted they possess too many left-handed bats. Hopefully, the Yankees’ catching situation doesn’t become an offensive burden this season.
Returning to pitching, the Yankees Opening Day rotation is expected to include Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Ryan Weathers, Will Warren, and Luis Gil. However, due to an excess of off-days in the first few weeks of the season, Boone is contemplating a four-man rotation, complemented by long relievers like Paul Blackburn and Ryan Yarbrough.
Another reason for a four-man rotation is how Weathers and Gil have struggled in Spring Training. One of them – most likely Gil – could wind up starting the season in Triple-A. Odds are Gil will ultimately make the Yankees’ Opening Day roster as expected, but another poor Spring Training start could derail him.
Meanwhile, Carlos Lagrange, the Yankees’ second-ranked prospect, continues to impress in training camp. With four scoreless innings yesterday, he extended his shutout streak to 11 straight frames. Lagrange, who averaged 99.6 mph on his fastball yesterday, is expected to start the season in the Minors, but if Weathers or Gil struggle out of the gate, the 22-year-old phenom could make his season debut as soon as April.
If Lagrange is anything like Schlittler was last season, the sky’s the limit.
Knicks
Six players in double-figures on a night without Jalen Brunson? Yes, please.
The Indiana Pacers may be at the bottom of the NBA standings, but given the Knicks’ difficult history against them, a 136-110 win on Tuesday was exactly what the doctor ordered. The doctor must also have ordered a Hart monitor in the fourth quarter, because Josh Hart had already scored 33 points by the end of the third.
It took Hart just 26 minutes to score a team-high 33 points. He shot a perfect 5-for-5 from behind the line and went 12-for-14 from the field, becoming the fourth player in franchise history to score over 30 points while shooting over 90%. The others: Walt Bellamy, Willis Reed, and Bernard King. That’s pretty neat company for Hart, who earned his highest-scoring game as a Knick.
All five Knicks starters achieved double-digit scoring totals, along with Jordan Clarkson, who scored 10 off the bench. OG Anunoby backed Hart up with 26 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns netted 22 alongside 11 rebounds. Jose Alvarado also had a double-double in his first start for the Knicks, with 16 points and 10 assists. With four made threes, he broke a nine-game skid without a single one.
“It was a weight off my shoulders. I wasn’t really focused on [my shooting], but obviously, it was in the back of my mind,” Alvarado said. “It’s something that’s now who I am. I just trust the work.”
Beating Indiana doesn’t hold the same gravitas as beating Detroit, Boston, Oklahoma City, or any other title-contending team. But at this point in the season, with one month until the playoffs, winning is the most important thing. The Knicks needed to get back on track offensively, and they did.
But it took a while.
The Knicks trailed by as many as six points in the second quarter to a then 15-54 Pacers team with just five road wins. Because one of those road wins came at the World’s Most Famous Arena, there were reasons to be concerned about how the Knicks would fare. However, as ugly as their slow starts have been in recent weeks, the Knicks didn’t waver. They pushed hard to enter halftime leading by eight.
Hart, with a team-high 10 points in the second quarter, was the catalyst of his team’s turnaround. Each of his 10 points, including a coast-to-coast three-point shot from the right slot with 1.6 seconds left, came in the final three minutes of the frame as the Knicks rode a 15-2 run into the locker room.
Hart’s best moment of the night came with 3:45 left in the third quarter as he nailed a shot while crashing to the deck. He battled Obi Toppin and Jay Huff down low to draw a foul, and by completing the three-point play, he gave his team a 15-point lead.
“It was special. It’s a game, obviously, we’re missing [Brunson],” Towns said. “We all understood the importance of picking up the slack, and I thought all of us in this locker room, particularly [Hart], did a great job of playing team basketball.”
In other, less fortunate news, Shams Charania reported this morning that Detroit Pistons star Cade Cunningham was diagnosed with a collapsed lung. It is a devastating injury for the young star, who is expected to miss extended time.
Schedule
7:00 PM (6:00 PM CST): NYR at CBJ; MSG, Gotham Sports
