#Yankees’ Gerrit Cole lauds Gary Sanchez as domination grows

Gerrit Cole has just one outing left before finally making his Yankees debut on Opening Day against the Nationals in Washington on July 23.

And if his effectiveness in Sunday’s simulated game in The Bronx was any indication, Cole seems to be in top form.

The $324 million right-hander struck out nine in 5 ²/₃ shutout innings and allowed just four hits and a walk during an 84-pitch outing on a steamy afternoon at the Stadium.

He credited Gary Sanchez for keeping him in a good rhythm throughout the outing.

“It’s been nice to work with him the last couple times,’’ Cole said. “I thought we were on the same page a lot today. And the few times we weren’t, we discussed it between innings, which was helpful.”

Cole praised Sanchez’s work defensively, saying he “was sharp behind the plate, giving me nice targets, calling nice sequences. It’s helpful that he knows the other squad better than I do.”

Soon enough, Cole will face hitters from other teams, although whether that happens in his final tuneup of spring training 2.0 remains to be seen. He could pitch another simulated game or start one of the exhibition games prior to the season opener.

Aaron Boone said Cole was “crisper” Sunday than in his previous outing and expects the 29-year-old to go in another simulated game, so he’d have an extra day of rest heading into Opening Day — while also building up his pitch count. But the manager called the situation “fluid.”

Cole said he hasn’t thought about what he’d rather do.

But he isn’t simply showing off to his new teammates on the mound.

Cole arrived with a reputation as a student of pitching and he’s shared that with some of the Yankees’ young pitchers, including Mike King, who also pitched in Sunday’s sim game.

King said he was texting with Justin Dunn, a former Mets prospect who was traded to Seattle in the deal that brought Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz to the Mets. Dunn asked King if he’d learned anything from Cole.

“We’re totally opposite pitchers in that he’s got that top of the zone fastball with ride, his slider is so electric and mine is a work in progress,’’ King said. “The biggest thing he said was, ‘Don’t throw it on flat ground because it’s a totally different angle.’ I’ve definitely seen some strides in [the pitch].”

But the Yankees didn’t sign Cole to be a pitching coach — and he looked like an ace Sunday.

“I still don’t want to put the cart before the horse, but hopefully we can recover well this week and build off this next turn and be ready to go,’’ Cole said.