September is, apparently, when records are broken in MLB.
St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols is trying to become the fourth member of the 700-homer club, while New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is one homer away from tying Roger Maris‘ franchise record of 61.
As it turns out, Judge is not the only Yankee looking to make some history.
Home runs are more flashy, and everybody likes them, but strikeouts are cool, too.
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is about to do something special.
“Something to keep an eye on with Gerrit Cole starting tonight… Cole’s 236 strikeouts this year are the fourth-most by a #Yankees pitcher in a single season in franchise history. He’s 13 K away from passing Ron Guidry‘s 248 (1978) for the Yankees record,” SI.com’s Max Goodman tweeted.
Something to keep an eye on with Gerrit Cole starting tonight…
Cole's 236 strikeouts this year are the fourth-most by a #Yankees pitcher in a single season in franchise history. He's 13 K away from passing Ron Guidry's 248 (1978) for the Yankees record.
— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) September 23, 2022
Cole’s own personal best for strikeouts came in 2019, with 326, as a member of the Houston Astros.
Cole Can Break A Franchise Record, Too
With the Yankees, however, the most he has achieved has been 243, last year.
There is at least a chance that Cole gets the 13 strikeouts he needs tonight against the Boston Red Sox.
However, the most likely scenario has him achieving it next week in his last regular season tuneup before the postseason starts.
Cole has been a legitimate ace for the Yankees.
Ever since signing a mammoth nine-year deal before 2020, he has dominated the opposition almost at will.
He put up a 2.84 ERA in 2020, and it was 3.23 last year when he probably deserved to win the Cy Young.
This year, in 182.1 innings, he has a 3.41 ERA.
He may not be in the same tier as Justin Verlander, Dylan Cease, or Shane McClanahan this campaign, but he has sure pitched like a frontline starter.
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