The Yankees’ season has encountered numerous setbacks. But Gerrit Cole has consistently demonstrated ace-level performance throughout the year. Consequently, he is currently the clear frontrunner to secure his first-ever AL Cy Young award.
In Sunday’s matchup, the right-handed pitcher, who signed a $324 million contract, delivered another outstanding performance by pitching seven scoreless innings. Gerrit Cole engaged in a thrilling pitching duel with former NL Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes, who managed to hold the Yankees hitless for eight innings. Ultimately, the Yankees secured a hard-fought 4-3 victory in the 13th inning.
In the fifth inning, Gerrit Cole recorded his 200th strikeout of the season when he struck out Andruw Monasterio. This marked his fifth strikeout of the game out of a total of nine.
He has achieved this milestone for the third time in four seasons with the Yankees, with the only exception being the shortened 2020 season due to COVID-19.
In the history of the franchise, no other pitcher has managed to achieve more than two seasons with over 200 strikeouts.
Gerrit Cole expressed his satisfaction with reaching the 200-strikeout milestone, describing it as a “cool number” that he likes. He acknowledged that there is more work to be done but stated that he takes pride in this accomplishment.
Gerrit Cole’s masterclass against the Brewers
In the seven innings Gerrit Cole pitched, the Brewers could muster just three hits, resulting in his ERA dropping to an impressive 2.79, which was the best in the American League. This performance came after he had thrown a league-leading 187 innings.
This marked the fourth instance this season in which Gerrit Cole (13-4) had a no-decision despite pitching at least five innings without allowing any runs, a record that leads all of MLB. Additionally, this year, he has started 23 games where he allowed no more than two runs, a feat surpassed in Yankees team history only by Jack Chesbro in 1904 with 28 starts and Ron Guidry in 1978 with 26 starts.
Aaron Boone revealed that he had been monitoring Gerrit Cole’s progress during the game and praised his consistency as a pitcher. He also mentioned the rarity of 200-strikeout seasons among players and noted that Gerrit Cole has achieved this milestone multiple times.
“Just a great pitcher,” he said about Gerrit Cole. “And it’s just fun to watch him at the craft.”
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