TAMPA, Fla. — One of Cole Tucker’s favorite interactions with Gerrit Cole involved money.

Only instead of Cole making gobs of it — as he did this offseason, when he signed the largest contract ever for a pitcher (nine years, $324 million) — this one involved the Pirates’ former ace losing money.

On a flight to Montreal for two games at Olympic Stadium to close spring training in 2017, Cole invited the young shortstop to play Booray, a card game similar to Spades. Despite having zero knowledge of the rules, Tucker said he “took some money” from Cole.

“Beginner’s luck,” Tucker recalled with a smile. “I don’t feel bad because he’s the richest pitcher to ever live, but I was definitely feeling good about myself.”

The interaction, which occurred before Tucker would start the season with High-A Bradenton, was appropriate Monday, with Cole making his first start for the Yankees, ironically against his former team.

The right-hander got Tucker in a 0-2 hole before firing four consecutive balls, the gregarious shortstop once again winning the battle.

“This is exactly how it goes in my nightmares,” Tucker said of his mindset at the time. “He’s got an electric, elite, Hall of Fame fastball. I was just trying to be on time for that and not chase the other stuff.”

The evening for Cole was relatively mundane — aside from this sorta/kinda being his first game in pinstripes. In one inning, Cole allowed that walk to Tucker and nothing else. He struck out Bryan Reynolds and Josh Bell and threw 12 of his 20 pitches for strikes. Cole’s fastball touched 98 mph. His breaking stuff was nasty. As Bell said afterward, “He looks pretty ready to go.”

There’s little doubt there, as Cole’s career has skyrocketed since the Pirates traded him. Last year, in Houston, Cole led the majors with 326 strikeouts, the 14th-highest total since 1900. It was the most for an American League pitcher since Nolan Ryan had 341 for the California Angels in 1977, and Cole became the first pitcher to win 19 consecutive decisions in a single season (playoffs included).

He went 20-5, had a 2.50 ERA and finished as runner-up in the American League Cy Young Award voting to former teammate Justin Verlander.

Monday for Cole wasn’t about much more than getting on the same page as catcher Gary Sanchez, building chemistry with his infielders and giving as much as he could for one inning, but he came away from the experience pleased with how everything went.

“There were only one or two really poor pitches,” Cole said. “It was good, quality work.”

Across George M. Steinbrenner Field, it was exactly what the Pirates expected. Adam Frazier dug in to start the game and chased a pitch out of the zone. Cole snickered. Frazier grew frustrated, thinking that would be his only chance. The Pirates second baseman ultimately popped out to short.

Before the game had ended, Frazier had started texting with Cole about that at-bat and about seeing a good friend again, wishing Cole good luck for the season ahead (not that he needs it).

“I guess I’m 0-for-3 off of him now. I gotta get him at some point,” Frazier said. “He’s a good pitcher. Knowing he’s pitching, you have to bring your A game and get ready to hit. He was mad I swung at that first pitch, but I had to. I knew he was gonna be hyped up.

“He’s a perfectionist and a really smart baseball guy. There’s a reason why he is where he is now.”

Bell got the best look at how Cole treats his spring training starts — go all out for one inning, then add innings from there. Cole buzzed a couple fastballs high, and Bell couldn’t catch up.

“He has some serious ride on his heater right now,” Bell said. “It’s pretty surprising for February. Definitely excited to see him here in a couple months. I have to get things going myself.”

At the same time, the line of communication remains open with Bell. Cole texted this offseason to congratulate Bell on his breakout year. Bell responded by wishing Cole well in free agency. Bell chuckled when he saw Cole’s reaction to Frazier trying to jump on the first pitch.

“He knows all of us,” Bell said. “We grew up with him. Just to be able to face him in pinstripes is kind of cool.”

For his part, Cole even channeled his inner Clint Hurdle, repeating a line the former Pirates manager would often use: “Spring training games don’t count, but they do matter.”

Even if you’re making more than $1 million per start? Absolutely, Cole’s former teammates will tell you. Maybe even more so.

In Tucker’s at-bat, he looked to Cole to see whether the man on the mound would offer a hat tip or a wink or something to signal their friendship, dating back to that time on the team plane or the conversations via text that continue to this day.

Nothing. Cole stared at home plate, focused on Sanchez, locked in like this was October.

“I kind of expected that,” Tucker said.

The young shortstop didn’t expect Cole to do what he did on that flight to Montreal, which is one of several examples of why Cole — baseball’s best pitcher — and the Pirates are still very much linked.

“I don’t remember the exact figure, but for 20-year-old me, I definitely got him,” Tucker said. “But he was super cool about it.

“The best part about it was that he took a kid in A ball under his wing and made sure that he felt included.”

Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.

First Published: February 25, 2020, 4:58 a.m.