Astros' Cole becomes 1st AL righty to reach 300 Ks since Pedro

Houston Astros right-hander Gerrit Cole became the first pitcher of the 2019 season to reach the 300-strikeout plateau, notching the milestone punch out against Shin-Soo Choo of the Texas Rangers on Wednesday evening.

It's the first time the 29-year-old has recorded 300 strikeouts in a single season in his career.

Cole became just the fourth pitcher to reach the historic milestone since both Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling eclipsed the mark in 2002.

He's also the first American League right-hander to achieve the feat since Pedro Martinez in 1999 as a member of the Boston Red Sox.

Cole required 198 1/3 innings to record his 300th strikeout, making him the second-fastest pitcher in history to do so. Johnson needed just 197 2/3 frames, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

Teammate Justin Verlander has a shot to join Cole in the 300-K club, currently sitting second in MLB with 283.

Since 1989, only eight pitchers have recorded a 300-strikeout campaign:

* - denotes Cy Young winner in same season