The Cincinnati Reds were Cole’s arch-enemy, despite his early-career success. It wasn’t until August 26, 2017, that he finally won a game against the Pirates’ division opponents, defeating them 1-0 with a home run off Luis Castillo as he pitched seven innings.
On the road, it was his 8th straight victory. Gerrit’s 2017 campaign was a letdown, as he went 12-12 with a 4.26 ERA, the highest of his career.
There were no longer any doubts about his health after he pitched 203 innings and struck out 196 hitters while leading the National League with 33 starts.
Rumors began to surface as soon as the season concluded that the Pirates were interested in dealing him while he had two years left on his contract, making him an attractive option for contending teams.
Before a contract was revealed on January 13th, 2018, conversations with the New York Yankees and Houston Astros had been ongoing for some time. For four players: Michael Feliz, Jason Martin, Colin Moran and Joe Musgrove, Cole went to Houston.
By striking out 36 hitters in his first three starts with his new team in 2018, Cole set a new major league record for most pitchers in their first three appearances.
The previous record-holder, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Randy Johnson, had 34 strikeouts in his first three outings in 1999. In Minute Maid Park, on April 13th, his 14 strikeouts were tied with Bud Norris’ record of 14, established in 2010 at the venue.
The Astros won all three of his starts, despite the fact that he had a 1.29 ERA and threw seven innings in each.
Has Gerrit Cole Pitched A Perfect Game?
To follow Jameson Taillon’s spotless outing, Gerrit Cole pitched into the seventh inning of New York’s 13-0 triumph over the Tigers at Yankee Stadium the day before, before yielding his first hit to Jonathan Schoop’s crisp two-out single.