Gerrit Cole reached a momentous milestone during Monday’s game between the Houston Astros and Oakland A’s.
Cole entered the game leading Major League Baseball with 194 strikeouts through his first 21 starts of the season. During the fourth inning, Cole got Matt Olson to strike out swinging for strikeout No. 200, making him the second fastest to accomplish the feat in a season.
It's July 22.@GerritCole45 has 200 strikeouts. #TipOfTheCap pic.twitter.com/p8EJ6Mp41G
— MLB (@MLB) July 23, 2019
The only pitcher to do it quicker was Hall of Famer Randy Johnson in 2001. Johnson finished with a career-high 372 strikeouts that season.
Well done, @GerritCole45! #MLBTonight pic.twitter.com/Gfj1mmiDY9
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 23, 2019
Since joining the Astros last season, Cole has taken his game to another level. In 2018, he posted an ERA of 2.88 with 276 strikeouts in 200.1 innings.
Cole isn’t the only pitcher who has experienced success since joining the Astros. Justin Verlander credited the use of technology with improving his slider two years ago in his first season in Houston. Perhaps Cole is putting it to good use as well.
