Spectacular catches help Yankees’ Gerrit Cole throw perfect inning in 1st All-Star Game start

Yankees ace Gerrit Cole pitched a perfect top of the first inning in his first All-Star Game start on Tuesday night in Seattle thanks to two spectacular catches behind him.

Pitching to contact against the star-studded top of the National League’s lineup, Cole gave up two long flyballs in the first two at-bats of the game.

Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. and Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman both went the other way, swatting hard hits off Cole to the warning track. Both missiles were hauled in on leaping grabs from Rangers slugger Adolis Garcia and Rays superstar Randy Arozarena, respectively.

Garcia’s acrobatic catch to rob Acuna came on just the second pitch of the game, a flyball with an expected batting average of .570. As Garcia crashed into the right-field wall, making a last-minute adjustment in the sun, Cole had a huge smile on his face.

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The right-hander then threw his hands up into the air with a laugh, beaming as Arozarena — typically a thorn in Cole’s side within the Yankees-Rays rivalry — robbed Freeman a few pitches later. Arozarena’s grab in left was made right at the top of the wall.

Cole finished off the first by getting Dodgers star Mookie Betts to ground out to second base, with Rangers infielder Marcus Semien fielding and firing to Rays’ Yandy Diaz at first. He threw a total of nine pitches, topping out at just 94.9 mph on his fastball — Cole averaged 96.9 mph with that pitch in the first half.

The Yankees’ ace is 9-2 with a 2.85 ERA to begin the season, earning his sixth All-Star selection. Cole is the first Yankees pitcher to start the All-Star Game since Roger Clemens back in 2001, another Midsummer Classic in Seattle.

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Max Goodman may be reached at mgoodman@njadvancemedia.com.