Associated Press
Cole’s strikeouts, spin rate down, Royals rally past Yanks
Gerrit Cole walked off the mound slowly after the first inning, expecting to be stopped by umpires searching for banned sticky substances. Cole’s explosive fastball was missing and his spin rate dropped as he pitched for the first time since Major League Baseball’s crackdown on grip enhancers began. O’Hearn, a 27-year-old playing his first major league game in three weeks following a stint at Triple-A Omaha, homered off Cole in the fourth and hit an infield single that tied the score 3-all in the eighth.