Gerrit Cole throws 129 pitches in Yankees 1-0 shutout of Astros
Field Level Media
11 Jul 2021, 12:55 GMT+10
Gerrit Cole enjoyed a triumphant return to Minute Maid Park and the New York Yankees made a solo home run from Aaron Judge stand in their 1-0 road win over the Houston Astros Saturday.
The Yankees clinched the season series by sending the Astros to their second consecutive shutout loss and third of the season. Houston has mustered one run in its last three games.
Cole (9-4), a two-time All-Star and 2019 Cy Young Award runner-up in two seasons with the Astros, made his second start against Houston following his departure for the Bronx after the 2019 World Series. He rebounded nicely from a pair of ragged outings against the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets by surrendering three singles in his first shutout this season.
Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images
You know what’s better than shutting out an opponent? Shutting out the offense that is leading the league in OPS+ and runs/game. That is exactly what Nestor Cortes Jr. and the Yankees’ bullpen did last night en route to a 4-0 victory. A good way to start the series against the hated Houston Astros, I’d say.
Gerrit Cole (8-4, 2.91 ERA, 3.06 FIP) gets the enviable task of following up Cortes and friends. The All-Star righty was absolutely dominant to start the season, accruing 3.1 fWAR and posting a 1.78 ERA during the first two months of the season. Since the start of June, however, he has been in a bit of a rut, which may or may not have to do with the foreign substances controversy (it probably does, at least to a degree): thanks to a 5.24 ERA in his last six starts, his ERA on the season has climbed by more than a full run, to 2.91. Cole hit rock bottom in his last outing, unable to make it out of the fourth, surrendering four runs on six h
Gerrit Cole shuts out Astros in Houston return mlb.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mlb.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Gerrit Cole roars back with 129-pitch complete game shutout against Astros
Kyle Evans covers local high school, college, and professional sports on FingerLakes1.com. Click here to contribute to our Sports Page or connect with Kyle using kyle@fingerlakes1.com.
Aaron Judge pinched the front of his uniform jersey during his third-inning home run trot, seemingly mimicking a gesture that Jose Altuve made after his pennant-winning blast two years ago. By the end of the night, Gerrit Cole had made an even more convincing statement.
Cole bounced back from a pair of disastrous outings to fire nine dominant innings in his return to Minute Maid Park, striking out 12 in the Yankees’ 1-0 victory over the Astros on Saturday. New York improved to 4-1 against the Astros this season, holding a chance to sweep into the All-Star break.
share-square-474320
HOUSTON While Gerrit Cole was putting on an electrifying show in his return to Minute Maid Park as a member of the Yankees, Astros starter Zack Greinke’s time on the mound Saturday night wasn’t nearly as long or as effective as his former teammate’s.
Greinke, who entered the day leading the American League in innings pitched, threw only 65 pitches a little more than half of Cole’s 129-pitch outing in a 1-0 victory over the punchless Astros and left the game after four innings with right shoulder soreness.
“It’s been bothering me for a little over a month,” Greinke said. “And just hoping to have a shorter start this time with a bit of extra days from the All-Star break and be rested for the second half is the goal.”