Gerrit Cole has always been well-known for his ability to strike hitters out.
Last night was no different.
The New York Yankees sent Cole to the mound in the second game of a day-night doubleheader against the Minnesota Twins.
Not only did the Yankees’ bats bust out and lead the way to a 7-1 victory, but Cole was lights out on the mound, going 6.2 innings and allowing just one run and five hits while striking out 14 batters.
Yes, you read that right.
Cole struck out 14 Twins hitters last night, and with that performance, Cole now has the most strikeouts of any pitcher in all of baseball with 218.
San Francisco Giants ace Carlos Rodon is a close second with 201.
After tonight's start, Gerrit Cole leads the league with 218 strikeouts this season.
Carlos Rodon is in second with 201 K this year.
— Max Goodman (@MaxTGoodman) September 8, 2022
The Cole Shoulder
Cole may not have a dog in the Cy Young race, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t going to put up some solid numbers along the way.
His ability to strike hitters out is impeccable and was on full display last night.
That’s a dominant performance when the Yankees needed him most.
The Yanks have been struggling since the end of July and had only won one series since then.
Last night, Cole gave the Bronx Bombers everything he had and led them to a very important series win over the Twins, who have also been struggling as of late.
New York needed a dominant outing out of Cole, who is no stranger to pitching in the middle of pennant races, and they got just that from a guy who’s been around for some time and knows how to pitch in big games.
Not often are you going to see a guy fan 14 batters in a game, but Cole is one guy who can blow hitters away with his nasty stuff and go deep into games.
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