Gerrit Cole certainly looks comfortable in Houston.
The Astros right-hander struck out 14 over seven innings against the rival Texas Rangers on Friday, pitching his way into the record books. With the performance, Cole joined Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan as the only pitchers in Major League Baseball history to strike out 11 or more in each of their first three starts of a season, according to Jake Kaplan of the Athletic.
| Pitcher | Gerrit Cole (2018) | Nolan Ryan (1973) |
|---|---|---|
| Game 1 Ks | 11 | 12 |
| Game 2 Ks | 11 | 11 |
| Game 3 Ks | 14 | 14 |
| Total Ks | 36 | 37 |
"It's pretty awesome," Cole said of joining Ryan. "The guy is a pretty good pitcher, to say the least. I'm thrilled."
Cole allowed two runs (both solo home runs) off three hits against the Rangers Friday before handing the ball over to the pen.
Gerrit Cole struck out 14 batters on 93 pitches. No pitcher in MLB history had ever recorded that many strikeouts in a game by throwing 93 pitches or less.
— Chris Peixoto (@cp_astros) April 14, 2018
It's been a remarkable run for Cole to start the season since coming over from the Pittsburgh Pirates during an offseason trade. He owns a 1.29 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, and 36 strikeouts across 21 innings.
Cole only had two double-digit-strikeout games in 33 starts last season.