Cole booed off field in shortest start of Yankees tenure

Gerrit Cole's season has reached its lowest point to date.

The New York Yankees ace was pulled from Sunday's start against the New York Mets after just 3 1/3 innings.

Yankee fans weren't pleased with the effort.

Cole was charged with four runs on six hits and three walks. He struck out six on 80 pitches in the abbreviated outing.

It's the shortest start of his Yankees tenure and only the third time in his career he's been unable to finish four innings, with the last occurrence coming in September 2016 as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

"I've got to take the positives from a personal standpoint, but obviously losing the lead and being responsible for that is first and foremost on my mind," Cole said postgame, according to Ken Davidoff of the New York Post.

"It is what it is. You sign up for it when you come here," he added when asked about being booed.

The 30-year-old right-hander has been under added scrutiny in the wake of Major League Baseball's crackdown on sticky substances. When asked in June whether he used a substance called Spider Tack, he struggled to answer the question.

Cole's ERA has jumped from 1.78 to 2.91 in his last six outings.

Entering Sunday's doubleheader against the Mets, the Yankees sat in fourth place in the AL East with a 41-40 record.