Gerrit Cole has been on fire to start his season with the Houston Astros, so much so that he’s even making history.
Cole pitched seven innings of three-hit ball on Friday night against the Texas Rangers. He struck out 14 batters, but the truly impressive part is that he did it on just 93 pitches. Being able to record so many strikeouts on so few pitches was historic, as nobody has had that many punchouts on 93 pitches.
Gerrit Cole struck out 14 batters on 93 pitches. No pitcher in MLB history had ever recorded that many strikeouts in a game by throwing 93 pitches or less.
— Chris Peixoto (@cp_astros) April 14, 2018
The fun doesn’t end there. According to ESPN’s Stats & Info, Cole is the third pitcher to record double-digit strikeouts in his first three starts with a team.
Gerrit Cole is the 3rd pitcher in modern MLB history (since 1900) with 10+ strikeouts in each of his 1st 3 starts with a team.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 14, 2018
Cole, who was acquired in a trade with the Pirates over the offseason, has put together a sensational first three starts. He has allowed just 10 hits in 21 innings with four walks and 36 strikeouts, as he struck out 11 in each of his first two outings. He has a 1.29 ERA, but is only 1-0 thanks to a pair of no-decisions.
The Astros sure have helped take Cole’s game to the next level, just like they did the same with Justin Verlander.
