Lost in all the hoopla about Aaron Judge‘s record-tying 61st home run on Wednesday, New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole made some history himself.
He started the game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Canada, needing four strikeouts to tie Ron Guidry for the Yankees’ single-season record, at 248.
Just like Judge tied Roger Maris‘ franchise record of 61 home runs, Cole did the same with Guidry.
Gerrit Cole has tied Ron Guidry with his 248th strikeout of the year. They share the single-season franchise record … for now.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) September 29, 2022
The “Louisiana Lightning” won 23 games, struck out 248 hitters and posted a 1.74 ERA en route to the AL Cy Young award in 1978.
Cole also earned the victory last night by throwing 6.1 solid innings of three runs allowed.
He walked one and struck out four against the Jays.
Theoretically, Cole will have one more tuneup start before the end of the regular season.
That will likely come early next week.
When that happens, the likelihood of Cole surpassing Guidry is extremely high, as he just needs one more strikeout.
A Good Season For Cole Amid Some Crazy Expectations
It hasn’t been Cole’s best season, but he has sure missed bats.
In 194.2 innings, he has a 3.51 ERA and the same FIP.
It’s far from the career-best 2.50 ERA he had in 2019, and even his 248 punchouts pale in comparison with the 326 he earned three years ago with the Houston Astros.
However, there is no denying that Cole has contributed some quality innings this year.
The bar is so high for him that it often seems like he disappoints whenever he doesn’t throw seven scoreless frames with 13 strikeouts.
However, such is life as the Yankees’ ace: fans usually have sky-high expectations.
Cole has been able to handle himself well during his time in the Bronx, and should be an asset during the postseason.
NEXT: Aaron Judge Has Truly Been Mashing The Baseball This Season