‘K-Machine’ Gerrit Cole passes 2,000 strikeout plateau…trailing only Randy Johnson and Kershaw
New York Yankees’ Gerrit Cole (32) has reached the 2,000-strikeout milestone in his big league career.
Cole started the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y., and allowed four runs on six hits, two homers, and three walks in five innings. Despite his struggles, Cole struck out two and walked none.
With the bases loaded in the second inning, Cole fired a 97.6-mph (157-kilometer) fastball to Teryn Babra for a swinging strikeout. He followed that up with a 96.6-mph (155-kilometer) fastball to Jorge Mateo, who drew a walk. Cole reached the 2,000-strikeout mark in his major league career.
MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, also highlighted Cole’s accomplishment. According to the site, Cole struck out 2,000 batters in just 278 games, making him the third-fastest pitcher in big league history to reach the milestone. Only Randy Johnson (262 games) and Clayton Kershaw (277 games) were faster than Cole.
In terms of innings pitched, Cole has set a fast pace. According to the media, Cole reached the 2,000-strikeout mark in 1714⅔ innings, the third-fastest to reach the milestone behind Chris Sale (1626 innings) and Pedro Martinez (1711⅓).
Narrowing it down to Yankees, Cole became the eighth pitcher to reach 2,000 strikeouts. Only David Cone, Dwight Gooden, Catfish Hunter, Mike Mussina, Bobo Newsome, Andy Pettitte, and CC Sabathia have previously struck out 2,000 batters.
Speaking to the local media after the game, Cole said he was delighted with the achievement, “It’s a very special record,” but added: “I had good pitches, but I didn’t follow them up enough. I threw a lot of pitches out of the zone,” he said, vowing to do better in his next game 메이저놀이터.