Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
After striking out Toronto Blue Jays left fielder, Raimel Tapia for a second time in Wednesday’s game, Gerrit Cole achieved a monumental milestone in history. The 32-year-old has matched Ron Guidry for the New York Yankees single-season strikeout record. Cole struck out his 248th batter and is vying to become the first Yankee to ever exceed the 250 mark.
Aside from the former first-round pick, there is no current Yankee that has eclipsed the 200 mark. Nestor Cortes has put away 151 batters via the strikeout and Jameson Taillon is five behind. This is quite the achievement for Cole, considering the marginal difference between his teammates in the strikeout category.
Ironically enough, Cole struck out 243 batters in 2021, which is just five short of the true record. He has evolved into one of the most-dominant pitchers in the league and continues to anchor the Yankees’ rotation. The veteran has sole possession of the strikeout department, with a comfortable lead over Milwaukee Brewer, Corbin Burnes, with 131.
The two-time runner-up for the American League Cy Young Award is scheduled to make one more start before the season concludes. He will likely compose some figure of strikeouts and could even break the 260 mark if he’s feeling lucky. Cole is slated to start in Texas, where the Yanks will complete their 162-game curriculum.
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It has not been the best of years for Cole, despite his lucrative strikeout numbers. A career high of 76 earned runs has been granted in addition to 32 home runs launched by his opponents. His repertoire has yielded a substantial percentage of hard contact, although, a down season for Gerrit Cole is a pitcher’s dream.
Despite all of that banter, the former Houston Astros star leads multiple pitching categories across the league. His 11.66 strikeouts per nine innings rank second in the majors, while Carlos Rodon remains .22 ahead. Opponents have fared quite poorly when facing the Yankees ace, with a .208 batting average. Compared to 2021, where Cole yielded a .221 average, this is quite the improvement.
This won’t be an ordinary Cy Young discussion, where Cole is recognized as a contender. He simply hasn’t performed in his peak form, however, the record book will not go untouched. The Yankee single-season strikeout record has been altered, not to mention, Cole is nearing his 2000th strikeout. Following his four-strikeout evening in Rogers Centre, the California native eclipsed Hideo Nomo and now ranks 102nd on the all-time strikeout list.
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After the Yankees inked a nine-figure deal that would keep Cole under team control through 2028 (player option after 2024), New York hoped it would be worth the while. His ERA has finished in the 3’s over the past two seasons and it just may be that his prime is turning a corner.
It seems that his stuff will remain effective in the coming years, nonetheless, his age is slowly catching up. The right-hander turned 32 earlier this month, and once free agency comes about, the California native would be two years shy of 40.
It’s simply not that Cole’s fastball lacks the heat which was initially constructed to peak in the triple-digits. Rather, his numbers have accumulated drastically, and the source for those struggles is unclear. It may be that major league hitters are adapting to his pitch arsenal, or that 10-season arm is beginning to wear out. Yankees fans hope that the latter is not the case.