Gerrit Cole came into Tuesday’s start with few expectations given that he was still building up his pitch count.
But he couldn’t have expected this.
The Mets clobbered Cole for four home runs in four innings on Tuesday night in the first edition of the Subway Series at Citi Field.
Cole, who gave up six earned runs, had looked sharp in his first start of the season last week against the Orioles, after missing the first two and a half months with elbow nerve inflammation, but he was much more pedestrian on Tuesday.
The reigning AL Cy Young winner also walked four batters (one shy of tying his career-high), three of which came in the first inning.
Mark Vientos was responsible for two of the home runs off Cole, which came on fastballs of 91.5 mph and 92.3 mph.
It was part of a noticeable, sporadic drop in velocity from Cole after he had come out flashing 97 and 98 mph in the first inning.
By the end of his night, Cole’s fastball averaged 95.4 mph — up from the 95 mph it averaged in his season debut, but with a wider range of 91.5-98.9 mph.
After Vientos’ first homer in the second inning, Harrison Bader took his former teammate deep two batters later on a 93 mph fastball, putting the Mets up 3-0.
Vientos then led off the fourth inning with a solo shot before Brandon Nimmo crushed a changeup for a two-run shot that made it 6-0.
Cole did not come back out for the fifth inning, ending his night with 72 pitches after throwing 62 in his first start back.