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Astros' Cole comes up huge, Ks 10 in ALDS finale

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Gerrit Cole did it all as the Houston Astros advanced to the American League Championship Series on Thursday for the third straight season.

Taking the mound in the winner-take-all Game 5 of the ALDS, the right-hander mostly toyed with Tampa Bay Rays batters over eight strong innings in the 6-1 victory.

He punched out his 10th victim in the top of the eighth, extending his dominant stretch of outings with at least 10 strikeouts to 11 games.

Cole kept his foot on the gas the entire way, throwing 99 mph as he neared the end of his start.

His only blemish was a solo home run off the bat of Eric Sogard on the first pitch Cole threw in the second inning. Other than that, no baserunner reached scoring position, and he put his club in the perfect position to advance to the ALCS.

The AL Cy Young hopeful finished by allowing one run on two hits while recording 10 strikeouts on 107 pitches. It was the only run he allowed over 15 2/3 innings across two ALDS starts (0.57 ERA).

Including the postseason, this was Houston's 15th straight victory when Cole has started. Altogether, the Astros are 53-16 in games he's pitched.

Cole, an impending free agent, is on the verge of a major payday on the open market.

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