Cole and Fried together in Yankees rotation for the first time, and their numbers add to Judge's 99

NEW YORK (AP) — While the Yankees still are missing Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole and Max Fried pitched together in New York's rotation for first time and their numbers add to the injured captain's 99.

Displaying $542 million worth of aces, the Yankees sent the pair to the mound in a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Cole didn't get a decision in Wednesday's opening 5-3, 10-inning loss, striking out 11 — his highest total in three years — while allowing three runs over seven innings. Fried came off the injured list for the night game and pitched five innings of one-hit ball in a 2-0 win.

“I think you saw a master class today,” fellow Yankees pitcher Will Warren said.

New York manager Aaron Boone had long envisioned Cole (No. 45) and Fried (54) following each other to the mound.

“It’s nice that it’s finally come to fruition,” Cole said. “A bit too long for of our both of our tastes.”

Signed to a $324 million, nine-year contract before the 2020 season, Cole won the 2023 AL Cy Young Award and helped the Yankees reach the 2024 World Series. He had elbow ligament reconstruction surgery on March 11 last year, and the 35-year-old right-hander didn't return until this past May 22.

Cole is 3-5 with a 3.92 ERA in 11 starts, striking out 66 and walking 12 in 62 innings. He retired his first 14 batters Wednesday before allowing Nick Gonzales’ single and Jacob Gonzalez’s two-run homer. Nick Gonzales added a solo homer in the seventh.

He pitched his 64th double-digit strikeout game, a Yankees-record 29th.

“He's at a really good place and I just think benefiting from now pitching every fifth and sixth day and getting back his competitive sea legs,” Boone said.

Cole did have a hiccup when he was called for a balk in the sixth inning. The pitch clock malfunctioned and went blank, and Cole broke his hands before stepping off the pitching rubber.

“They were not aware that the clock went off,” Cole said. “And it is my fault. I broke and stepped off at the same time. I was startled that it was off.”

Fried signed a $218 million, eight-year deal in December 2024 and led the major leagues in wins last year when he went 19-5 with a 2.86 ERA. The 32-year-old left-hander, who had not pitched since May 14 because of a bone bruise in his left elbow, is 4-3 with a 2.97 ERA.

He threw 52 pitches over three innings Friday in a rehab outing for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and was to make another rehab outing for the RailRiders on Wednesday. Then Tuesday night's game was postponed because rain was forecast, creating the doubleheader.

Fried was in the clubhouse Tuesday and Boone happened to be there with pitching coach Matt Blake and other mound staff.

“I walked in and just kind of jokingly said like: ‘Are you guys figuring out who’s pitching the doubleheader tomorrow?’ thinking they were going to choose which game it was going to be between Will and Gerrit,” Fried recalled. “And then they kind of looked at me and gave me a look of like: ‘Would you be on?’ I was, ‘Oh wait, we’re serious?’ I was like, ‘Yeah. Like, I mean, I’m going to pitching anyway.’ So I was — as soon as they said that, I said, ‘Yeah, you guys make the decision, but if you want me to pitch, I’m ready.’”

He struck out seven and walked one while throwing 37 of 57 pitches for strikes and retiring his last 12 batters.

“It’s something that I’ve been looking forward to for a while now and kind of sucks that I got hurt when I did to delay that, but better late than never,” Fried said.

His four-seam fastball averaged 96.2 mph, 1.5 mph above his season average coming in.

“It’s as good as he’s looked all year,” Boone said.

New York currently is still missing left-hander Carlos Rodón, who hasn't pitched since June 28 because of left elbow inflammation. Right-hander Clarke Schmidt threw 20 pitches of batting practice in his second BP session since elbow surgery on July 11 last year and probably will have another in a few days.

“Hopefully in the final couple of months of the regular season that rotation can continue to be a real strength for us,” Boone said.

Cole had been waiting 19 months to go back-to-back with Fried.

“We were so excited when we signed him. He’s just a magnificent pitcher and he’s a great compliment to the other starters that we have in our rotation,” he said. “Definitely looking forward to the next few months.”

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New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried, right, and catcher Ali Sánchez walk to the dugout in the first inning during the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried delivers in the first inning during the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole reacts after giving up a two-run home run to Pittsburgh Pirates' Jacob Gonzalez (26) in the fifth inning during the first baseball game of a doubleheader, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole reacts in the fifth inning during the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried walks to the dugout in the fourth inning during the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Madison police officer shot and killed a man who had injured him with a knife while resisting arrest, the city's police chief said Wednesday.

Cellphone video of the shooting circulated on social media shortly after the incident. Three gunshots can be heard on the cellphone video.

Madison Police Chief John Patterson stressed at a news conference that the footage circulating was just one perspective of what happened.

“I want to take a moment to honestly and sincerely offer my heartfelt sympathies to his family for this loss," Patterson said. The dead man was in his 30s, Patterson said, but police did not release his name.

The shooting happened on a city street in a popular neighborhood lined with restaurants, bars, shops and residential homes less than two miles from the state Capitol. Footage of the incident shows numerous cars stopped in the intersection with people watching as it unfolded.

A white police officer shot and killed Tony Robinson, who was biracial, on the same street in 2015, a shooting that spurred large protests. The district attorney did not file charges against police in that incident, determining the officer was justified.

The race of the officer who fired his gun on Wednesday and that of the man killed were not released by police. But advocates for the Black community in Madison said the man killed was Black.

“Another Black man is dead on a Madison street, and our community watched him die before we even knew his name,” said Brandi Grayson, the head of the Madison-based Black community advocacy group Urban Triage. “That is the cruelty of state violence.”

A crowd formed near where the shooting occurred on Wednesday with people chanting, “Arrest the cops!”

They placed flowers and candles where the man was shot and held a vigil.

Protesters also marched to the Wisconsin State Capitol and took the stage at a summer concert series, demanding the name of the officer and that he be held accountable. The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra announced on social media the show was canceled.

Police were responding to calls that someone was attempting to enter parked vehicles in the neighborhood, Patterson said. The suspect fled on a bike through nearby backyards in an attempt to get away before officers contacted him in the street, Patterson said.

The suspect either fell off of his bike or was taken off of his bike by officers and during the struggle pulled out a knife and injured an officer, Patterson said. Police posted a picture of the knife in a news release.

An officer deployed a taser but it was unsuccessful, the chief said. The same officer who was injured by the knife fired his weapon and the man who was shot died later at the hospital, the chief said. He described the officer who fired his weapon as a veteran officer, but did not reveal any other details.

Another officer was injured, but it is not clear how, Patterson said. The other two officers were uninjured.

The Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation will investigate the shooting because it involves police officers. The four responding officers will be placed on administrative leave, per the police department's policy.

Attendees gather at a candlelight vigil where a Madison police officer shot and killed a man Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

An attendee reacts at a candlelight vigil where a Madison police officer shot and killed a man Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Attendees gather at a candlelight vigil where a Madison police officer shot and killed a man Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Protesters march after a Madison police officer shot and killed a man Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Protesters march after a Madison police officer shot and killed a man Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Protesters march after a Madison police officer shot and killed a man Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Protesters march after a Madison police officer shot and killed a man Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Protesters march after a Madison police officer shot and killed a man Wednesday, July 22, 2026, in Madison, Wis. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)