Yankees beat Twins 2-0 with Cole’s 2-hitter

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New York Yankees 2, Minnesota Twins 0

NEW YORK — The New York Yankees beat the Minnesota Twins 2-0 on Sunday. Gerrit Cole pitched a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts for his fourth career shutout and second complete game in the major leagues this season.

The Yankees split the four-game series after putting Giancarlo Stanton on the injured list before the game with a strained hamstring. DJ LeMahieu hit a home run and an RBI single. The first time since 2010 that New York has won or tied its first five series is according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Cole (4-0) has a 0.95 ERA after four starts. It took him 109 pitches and 2 hours and 7 minutes to beat the Twins. He got the last nine outs in just 25 pitches, and Carlos Correa, who used to play for the Astros, was out on a fly ball to end the game.

“I think it’s just old school, but we had our work cut out for us today,” Cole said of the rare complete game. “We were facing a great team, a great pitcher, so, just more satisfied with the win.”

In the ninth, Clay Holmes was getting ready to pitch, and Correa was going to be Cole’s last batter.

It was Cole’s seventh perfect game in his career and his first shutout since July 10, 2021, at Houston. The only other complete game in the big leagues this year was also against Minnesota. On April 4, reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara pitched a three-hitter for Miami in a 1-0 win that lasted 1 hour and 57 minutes.

Cole gave up 33 home runs last year, which was the most in the AL. He hasn’t given up any this year. For the second time, he has started a season with four straight wins. As a rookie with the Pirates in 2013, the right-hander also won his first four decisions.

“He’s had some pretty good stretches for us before,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Add it all up and I feel like he’s in such a good place. I feel like how he’s using his fastball right now I think is just him continuing to evolve and grow as a great pitcher.”

Cole’s career record against the Twins now stands at 5-0, despite the fact that they hit five home runs off of him on June 9 of last year in Minnesota.

It was Cole’s second game with 10 or more strikeouts this season and 44th since the start of the 2019 season, which is the most in the majors. He tied Ron Guidry for the team record with his 23rd game with 10 or more strikeouts since signing with New York after the 2019 season.

“It’s special,” Cole said. “Ron’s such a good person and a great human and a great Yankee. So anytime you’re mentioned with him it’s pretty special.”

Cole didn’t give up a hit until his 66th pitch, when Donovan Solano hit a single on a 2-2 slider after fouling off three pitches with two outs in the fifth inning. In the sixth, Michael A. Taylor also hit a single for the Twins.

“He was great,” LeMahieu said of Cole. “Not much more than 100 pitches and a bunch of strikeouts and about as good as you can pitch.”

Since Mike Mussina won his first seven starts for the Yankees back in 2003, Cole is the first Yankees pitcher to win his first four starts.

LeMahieu hit fifth for the first time this season. In the third, he hit a single that drove in a run off Pablo López (1-1), and in the sixth, he hit a home run off the top of the right-field fence. In his first 10 games, LeMahieu was the leadoff hitter.

UP NEXT

In the first game of a three-game series between the Yankees and Angels on Tuesday night at home, RHP Clarke Schmidt (0-0, 8.44 ERA) goes up against LHP José Suárez (1-0, 10.80).

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