YANKEES ▶Gerrit Cole’s 7 scoreless innings help Yankees to 7-2 win over orioles.
In best start as Yankee, Cole gets 13 strikeouts in 7 shutout innings
New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) winds up during the first inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday. Cole’s was just the seventh start ever for the Yankees of seven shutout innings with 13 strikeouts and no walks: Mike Mussina did it against Boston and Baltimore in September 2001, and Ron Guidry (1984), John Candelaria (1988), David Wells (1998) and Masahiro Tanaka (2017) did it once each. He became the first Yankees pitcher to strike out seven batters in 11 straight regular-season starts. His parents and sister watched from the suite level. They weren’t able to attend any of his 2020 home games because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Gerrit Cole struck out 13 and walked none over seven scoreless innings in his most dominant start since joining the New York Yankees, overwhelming the Baltimore Orioles 7-2 Tuesday night for his first win this season.
Cole (1-0) allowed four hits, three of them singles, in the type of performance that showed why the Yankees made him baseball’s highest-paid pitcher in December 2019 with a $324 million, nine-year deal.
Jay Bruce backed him with his first Yankees home run, a solo shot in the second off Dean Kremer (0-1), and Aaron Judge added a three-run homer in the eighth.
New York has won a teamrecord 12 straight home games against the Orioles since May 2019, outscoring Baltimore 7628. It moved above .500 for first time this year at 3-2.
Pitching with long sleeves on a night with a gametime temperature of 68, Cole threw 71 of 97 pitches for strikes. The 30year-old right-hander induced 23 swinging strikes and got 17 called strikes from plate umpire Marty Foster.
He warmed up to the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter,” and the Orioles could find none. Cole got stronger as the night went on, throwing at up to 100.5 mph and retiring his last 12 batters. All four pitches were effective: He mixed 40 fastballs with 23 sliders, 21 knucklecurves and 14 changeups.
Father Mark Cole, mother Sharon Cole and sister Erin looked on from the suite level, as they did for his no-decision against Toronto in Thursday’s opener. With no fans allowed during the 2020 regular season because of the pandemic, these were their first two chances to watch him pitch at Yankee Stadium for the team Mark Cole grew up rooting for.
Cole’s was just the seventh start ever for the Yankees of seven shutout innings with 13 strikeouts and no walks: Mike Mussina did it against Boston and Baltimore in September 2001, and Ron Guidry (1984), John Candelaria (1988), David Wells (1998) and Masahiro Tanaka (2017) did it once each. He became the first Yankees pitcher to strike out seven batters in 11 straight regular-season starts.
After Gary Sanchez caught the first four games, Kyle Higashioka caught Cole, as he did during last year’s playoffs.
Lucas Luetge allowed Rui Ruiz’s two-run homer with two outs in the ninth after Ryan Mountcastle beat a two-out single on a call upheld in a video review.
Bruce led off the second with a Bronx special into the rightfield short porch that traveled just 354 feet. New York’s first baseman while Luke Voit recovers from knee surgery, Bruce was moved up to No. 3 in the batting order in place of slumping center fielder Aaron Hicks, who got the night off.
Bruce saved a run in the first, throwing out speedy Cedric Mullins trying to score from third on Anthony Santander’s one-hopper with the infield in.