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NEW YORK -- New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole's assignment for his season debut Wednesday wasn't cushy: a mid-June clash against the loaded Baltimore Orioles, his club's primary competition for American League East supremacy, after just three rehab starts fresh off an alarming elbow injury.
But Cole isn't your typical pitcher, and the Yankees deemed him ready knowing he would have to build up his stamina at the highest level. Working with a short leash Wednesday, the reigning Cy Young Award winner proved he was up for the challenge. He was sharp, with a touch of rust, over four-plus innings in front of a sellout crowd at Yankee Stadium.