Gerrit Cole’s dream Yankees opener didn’t completely come true

Gerrit Cole’s reality did not quite measure up to Gerrit Cole’s dream. When the ace was an 11-year-old Yankees fan attending the 2001 World Series with the coolest sign in town, the fantasy of making an Opening Day start in The Bronx in front of his family was surely defined by a full house shaking the building to its core.

And by victory, of course, preferably punctuated by six or seven shutout innings and a standing O. The reality, as it turned out, was a squandered opportunity in a 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Blue Jays, a pitch that will haunt Cole for at least a week or three, and an announced attendance of 10,850.