Yankees' Gerrit Cole, Wife Amy Announce Birth of Son Caden

New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole announced Friday his wife, Amy Cole, has given birth to their first child, Caden.

"Amy is doing excellent and he is doing excellent," Cole told reporters. "He's strong. He's a good mix of his dad and his mom. He's a little [towhead]. He's absolutely adorable. He's got big blue eyes and gosh I just can't stop staring at him."

The couple married in 2016. Amy, a former UCLA softball player, is the sister of San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford.

She posted a message on Instagram about the impending arrival of their son for Father's Day on June 21:

"Long before I thought about becoming a mom, I couldn't help but picture you as a dad and how you'd shine in that role. Seeing the way you bring out genuine smiles from every kid you come across makes my heart swell. I hope our son has your same passion for life, for learning, for choosing growth over staying inside your comfort zone. I hope he wears his heart on his sleeve and loves making his friends and family smile like you do. Whether it's with your singing voice, piano skills, or your next-level, like get-this-guy-on-the-Food-Network-immediately, cooking skills... I pray our son brings as much joy to the world as you do. I can't wait to watch you take on this new role as a dad, anyyyyyy day now."

Cole signed a nine-year, $324 million contract with the Yankees in December. He spent the past two years with the Houston Astros after starting his MLB career with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The 29-year-old California native fully expects to start on Opening Day for New York and play through the 2020 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"There is only going to be one coronavirus World Series champion," he said. "That's unique in itself. I don't see why you wouldn't want to take that trophy home."

Although MLB hasn't released the official schedule for the shortened 60-game regular season, Joel Sherman and Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reported the first day of action, July 23, will be headlined by the Yankees taking on the reigning champion Washington Nationals.

Cole will likely face off against either Stephen Strasburg or Max Scherzer to open the campaign.