It's that time of spring when the big boys get going. The New York Yankees will start rolling out their stars in spring training over the weekend, manager Aaron Boone told reporters. Yankees captain Aaron Judge will make his Grapefruit League debut on March 1 against the Houston Astros at George M.

Gerrit Cole’s first start of the spring had the Blue Jays swinging and missing, as the Yankees’ ace struck out five on Friday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field.

Cole showed off his health and his newest weapon in 3 ¹/₃ innings of a 6-3 win over the Blue Jays at Steinbrenner Field in which he allowed a run and three hits, hit one batter and struck out five. The righty was sharp, returned for a batter in the fourth inning because he was so efficient and finished with 46 pitches (including 33 strikes).

The New York Yankees are being outspent by the New York Mets and LA Dodgers. The Philadelphia Phillies also have a more expensive roster this year.

Clemens, a seven-time Cy Young winner, witnessed some hard contact from the Yankees slugger, which left Cole, a Cy Young winner in 2023, appreciative of the chance to practice against a two-time

And, as he did on Friday during his bullpen session, Cole had one of his childhood heroes watching from behind the mound, Roger Clemens, who is in camp as a guest instructor. “It was awesome,” Cole said Sunday. “It’s really great. Álex [Rodríguez] was in the house the other day, too. It’s good vibes.