Gerrit Cole has been off to a fast start in 2023.
The veteran right-hander drew the start for the New York Yankees on Thursday night in their series opener against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field.
True to form, Cole continued his dominance, pitching 6.2 innings and allowing just two runs on six hits with one walk and eight strikeouts.
The Yankees won by a final score of 4-2 and improved to 15-11 on the season.
Cole also earned the win in Thursday’s series opener, improving to 5-0 on the season.
His ERA now stands at 1.11 on the season.
On Twitter, MLB on FOX posted some of Cole’s numbers from Thursday’s key win in Texas.
Gerrit Cole's line tonight vs the Rangers:
6.2 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 1 BB, 8 SOCole's ERA is now 1.11 on the season 🔥 pic.twitter.com/0MU7U0Wm87
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) April 28, 2023
Cole joined the Yankees prior to the 2020 season when he signed a nine-year, $324 million contract.
The right-hander has proven to be a durable starter in the Yankees rotation, but he hadn’t quite recaptured his ace form from 2019 when he was with the Houston Astros.
So far this season, the 32-year-old appears to have returned to that form.
In his six starts, Cole has thrown 40.2 innings, posted a 0.84 WHIP, and struck out 44 batters.
Cole owns a 3.18 ERA over 273 career starts and has won a total of 135 games.
With the win, the Yankees remain in fourth place in the American League East, six games back of the first-place Tampa Bay Rays.
Cole led the way for New York as they picked up a key series-opening victory over the slumping Rangers, who have lost four consecutive games to fall into a first-place tie in the AL West with the defending champion Houston Astros.
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