Cole wags away Mariners as Yankees return to winning ways

NEW YORK -- Gerrit Cole strutted off the Yankee Stadium mound after striking out the side in the seventh inning on Tuesday evening, and as he did so, he wagged his right index finger at the Mariners’ bench. It was a response to some extracurricular jawing, but it might as well have been to say: not tonight, boys.

With his club coming off a deflating weekend series in Boston, the ace needed to serve as a stopper. Cole rose to that challenge, permitting only four hits and one run in an eight-strikeout performance as the Yankees snapped their four-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Mariners.

“It wasn't easy, I can tell you that,” Cole said. “They put some balls in play and hit some balls hard that went our way. But they fought us all night. The best thing that we did was stay in command of the strike zone, move the fastball around and throw a lot of quality pitches.”

Billy McKinney belted a two-run homer and Anthony Rizzo picked up three hits and an RBI in the win, just the Yanks’ fifth in 13 games since Aaron Judge crashed into an outfield wall at Dodger Stadium on June 3. Harrison Bader singled and stole a base in his return from a right hamstring strain.

But the story of the night was Cole, who improved his season record to 8-1 with a 2.64 ERA and has allowed two runs or fewer in 13 of his 16 starts.

“He puts a lot into his prep and his game-planning, how he attacks guys,” Rizzo said. “Whenever he’s on the mound, I’m very confident.”

Tuesday marked the seventh time this season that Cole has started immediately following a Bombers loss; the Yanks are 7-0 in those games, with Cole posting a 4-0 record and a 1.87 ERA.

“It’s definitely nice to hand the ball to him,” manager Aaron Boone said. “To have Gerrit go out there, there’s definitely comfort in that, knowing we really want to get a win and stop the bleeding. He went out there and was in complete control.”

The aforementioned extracurriculars that prompted Cole’s Dikembe Mutombo finger-wagging display occurred with Mariners second baseman José Caballero at the plate in the seventh inning.

Seemingly irked by Caballero’s routine, namely his use of a batter timeout between pitches, Cole’s 0-2 pitch sailed high above the batter’s head, striking the netting behind home plate.

“Sometimes a high fastball can be a really effective pitch,” Cole said, with deadpan. “Gotta change eye levels.”

Caballero said that Cole “didn't like the way I was manipulating the pitch clock, but he just got excited.”

“The rules are there for all of us, and I just had to be ready at eight seconds and that's what I'm doing. That's my routine,” Caballero said. “I’m just going to continue doing what I feel good doing, and I hope they get used to it.”

Boone said that Cole’s pitch over Caballero’s head “raised [Seattle’s] antenna.” The at-bat concluded with a strikeout, and Cole said he noticed Mariners manager Scott Servais wagging a finger toward him. Cole responded with a similar motion, adding a mocking smirk.

“Their manager had some choice words for me coming off the field, and he was wagging his finger at me. So I wagged my finger at him,” Cole said.

Cole added that he could not hear anything Servais said.

“I didn't say anything to him, either. I just saw him wag his fingers,” Cole said. “That's the first time an opposing manager has ever wagged their finger at me.”

At least for one night, Cole’s effort and a few early knocks pocketed the digits pointed toward the Yankees’ front office.

About two hours after general manager Brian Cashman spoke in the Yankees’ dugout and promised that the Judge-less offense would soon perform to expectations, all three of the club’s runs on Tuesday came in the first two frames.

The damage was done against right-hander George Kirby, a Rye, N.Y., product who overpowered the Yanks through eight scoreless innings on May 31 at Seattle. Clay Holmes recorded the last five outs to notch his ninth save.

“We need every win,” Rizzo said. “It feels good to be back home and start this homestand on a good note.”