TAMPA, Fla. -- There were no tickets available for Sunday’s power vs. power showdown of Aaron Judge against Gerrit Cole, because none were sold. With the Yankees stars under long-term contracts and expected to play the rest of their careers in pinstripes, it was a matchup that could only transpire on the backfields of a Spring Training complex.

But there they were, Judge in the batter’s box and Cole on the mound of Field 2 of the Yankees’ complex, facing off as the rest of the Bombers prepared to take on the Tigers in a Grapefruit League game.

As several hundred fans clamored for peeks through a chain-link fence, Cole acknowledged that, yes, the competitor in him had savored a rare opportunity to face the reigning American League MVP.

“I enjoy it,” Cole said. “I’ve done this for a long time; I’ve seen my fair share of line drives and gotten my fair share of line drives. There’s always that uncertainty with guys who can just really hit the ball so hard, so that’s not comfortable. But it’s fun to compete against him, and then to be able to talk about it afterwards -- that’s special.”

So what did Cole and Judge discuss after the session, which included Judge taking Cole deep over the left-field fence?

“I just thought he looked really good today,” Cole said. “He wasn’t really doing anything other than swinging, trying to get as many swings as he could. I thought he was in a good position to hit a few pitches pretty well. And that’s a good place to be, a good place to start -- just sitting there reacting and knowing that I’m going to throw strikes. He looked hitter-ish.”

Cole’s three-inning outing likely marked his last under the controlled environment of a live batting practice; he expects to be inserted into the Grapefruit League rotation in the next turn.

"He really held his stuff throughout, which I think he wanted to do, without having to reach for it," said manager Aaron Boone, who noted Cole was clocked between 94 and 96 mph with his fastball. "The secondary [pitches were] sharp, he got the three ups, got 45 pitches in. So another good day for him."

Cole said this past week was also notable because of one particular observer: Roger Clemens, who was in camp for several days as a guest instructor.

“He had some advice after the ‘pen the other day, just on some of the mechanics, some of the fine-tuning,” Cole said. “So far, he really liked the foundation. It’s got to get better, but I’m in a good spot.”