The word of the night for Gerrit Cole: change. A year after he made just one spring start before his elbow began barking to begin a monthslong saga, Cole’s arm and elbow felt plenty changed. “I feel way different [than this time last year],

Aaron Boone went from having to police stubble to having to determine what qualifies as a “well-groomed” beard.

There were no tickets available for Sunday’s power vs. power showdown of Aaron Judge against Gerrit Cole, because none were sold. With the Yankees stars under long-term contracts and expected to play the rest of their careers in pinstripes,

The New York Yankees will start rolling out their stars in spring training over the weekend, manager Aaron Boone told reporters. Cole missed last year’s Opening Day with an elbow injury.

The Yankees have lost two more pitchers to injuries ahead of opening day. The pressure will now mount on Cole and Fried.

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.

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On Wednesday, Wells told the YES Network that he has been feeling good in live batting practice and that he wanted to catch the afternoon’s starter, Will Warren. Wells went 1-for-2 with a double and two RBI, while Warren struck out four over three scoreless innings.

With Austin Wells making his spring debut sooner than expected earlier this week and Gerrit Cole taking the mound on Friday, a few more Yankees are set for their first taste of exhibition action.