Aaron Cook #28

Aaron Lane Cook... Married, wife's name is Holly; has three children, daughter Alexis and sons Elijah and Colton... Received All-Conference recognition both his junior and senior seasons (1996-97) at Hamilton High School (OH)... Starred on a Hamilton squad that won the Ohio state baseball championship... On January 12, 2006, received the 2005 Tony Conigliaro Award at the annual dinner of the Boston chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, presented to a ML player who has overcome adversity through the attributes of spirit, determination and courage, trademarks of the former Red Sox star outfielder... Signed by: Ed Santa.

2012

Began season with Pawtucket (AAA) ... Had his contract selected by BOS on 5/3; at the time of his call-up, ranked 3rd in the International League in ERA ... Placed on the 15-day DL on 5/6 (left knee laceration) ... Appeared in 1 rehab game with Pawtucket before being activated on 6/24 ... Averaged 1.91 SO/9.0 IP (20 SO/94.0 IP), the lowest mark of his career and the lowest rate by a ML pitcher with at least 75.0 innings since 1982 (DET's Larry Pashnick - 1.81, 19 SO/94.1 IP) ... Averaged 14.4 pitches per inning, 2nd-fewest in the AL (min. 75.0 IP) ... In his first 10 starts, issued a combined 10 walks and had 7 SO, becoming the 4th pitcher in AL history to both walk and strike out 10 or fewer batters over his first 10 starts of a season ... Pitched his 3rd career SHO, 6/29 at SEA ... Did not collect a SO over a 19.0-inning stretch, 6/29-7/21.

2011

Made 18 appearances for the Rockies...His 6.03 ERA (65 ER/97.0 IP) was the highest of his career, while his 97.0 innings and 17 starts were his fewest since 2005 (83.1 IP, 13 GS)...Missed all of Spring Training and began the season on the 60-day DL due to a fractured right pointer finger...Made 5 rehab starts between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Colorado Springs from 5/14-6/2, combining to go 1-1 with a 5.65 ERA (18 ER/28.2 IP) in those 5 starts with 18 strikeouts compared to just 5 walks...Suffered the loss in 5 of his 1st 7 starts before winning back-to-back starts on 6/22 at ARI and 6/27 at LAD...On 9/16 vs. SF, pitched the 7th inning in relief, his 1st appearance out of the bullpen since 9/27/03 at SD...Had started each of his previous 184 appearances beginning in 2004...Held opponents to a .167 clip (1-for-6) with the bases loaded...Combined for a .233 opponent AVG (27-for-116) in the 4th and 5th innings.

2010

Made his final two starts of the season after returning from the disabled list where he spent a month with a big right toe injury...in his final outing of the season, 9/8 vs. CIN, Cook was hit in the lower leg by a Joey Votto line drive, putting him out for the rest of the season...Went 4-2 in 11 starts at home in 2010, tossing 63.0 innings, allowing 30 earned runs on 68 hits and 21 walks while striking out 30...his 4.29 ERA at home was 1.56 points lower than his road ERA of 5.85 (64.2 ip, 42 er)...he held hitters to a .275 average at Coors Field compared to a .304 average on the road even though seven of his 11 home runs came at home...started the season with seven-straight quality starts at Coors Field...Over the course of the 2010 season Cook had a 74.2 ground ball percentage, his highest mark since 2005 when he had 75.5 percent, and his third-highest percentage of his career...he induced 265 ground balls compared to just 92 fly balls...over the first two months of the season Cook was tied for second in the National League with 10 ground into double plays...Cook has seven career complete games at Coors Field, and his complete game on 4/24 vs. FLA (Game 2) was his first since a 4-0 shutout vs. SD on 7/1/08...the only other pitcher with more than three complete games at Coors Field is Pedro Astacio, who had four over his 14 year career.

2009

Posted his second consecutive season with double-digit wins...was a victim of 4 blown saves (club went 14-13 in his starts)...went 8-3 in the first half (19-9; 2008-09 first half)...made just 2 starts after 8/21, as he was on the DL (right shoulder strain) from 8/22-9/25...allowed one run in 13.0 innings over 2 starts after returning from DL in late Sept...career-best 7-game winning streak from 6/6-7/31 (one shy of Jeff Francis' club record); did not lose in that 11-start span, going 7-0 (4 no-decisions) with a 2.97 ERA (72.2 ip, 24 er); 3 of his other 4 victories were earned during a 3-game winning streak from 4/29-5/21, going 3-0 (2 no-decisions) with a 2.56 ERA (31.2 ip, 9 er) in that 5-start span...15 of 27 starts were quality outings...had a groundball/flyball ratio of 2.65...allowed 19 home runs, the highest total in any year of his career; allowed multiple HR's in 6 starts (season-high 3 HR's allowed 4/18 at LAD)...induced 19 double plays...averaged 2.68 walks per 9 innings pitched, the worst mark of his career...pitched at least 6 innings in 18 of his 27 starts, including 7 or more innings in 9 starts...tossed 9th career complete game (2nd shutout) 5/21 at ATL; allowed just 4 hits and recorded 20 groundball outs...made 2nd career Opening Day start 4/8 at ARI; his 2.1 innings were the fewest thrown by a Rockies starter on Opening Day (previously Mike Hampton, 3.2 ip, 4/1/02 at St. Louis)...reached milestone 4/18 at LAD when he retired Juan Castro for the first out of the 4th inning, giving him 941.1 career innings pitched - passed Jason Jennings (941.0 ip) on the all-time franchise list in innings...went 2-1 with a 2.93 ERA (30.2 ip, 10 er) in 5 starts during the month of May; did not allow any home runs in the month of May (5 starts), after allowing 7 home runs in April (5 starts)...issued 25 walks in his first 62.0 innings pitched including tying his career high by walking 6 batters 4/24 vs. LAD...finished June as one of two Rockies to be nominated for National League Pitcher of the Month: Cook and Huston Street (Tim Lincecum won); Cook went 5-1 with a 2.36 ERA while leading all Major League pitchers in wins...earned career-best 7th consecutive win 7/26 vs. SF...went 10-2 in 17 starts from 4/29-7/26; no other NL pitcher won more games than Cook in that span (Matt Cain also went 10-2 in that span)...allowed 9 or more hits in 6 straight starts from 6/28-7/26 (.327 opp. AVG) but issued just 9 walks and allowed one HR in that span...took 4th loss 8/6 at PHI; was forced to leave the game with turf toe, which caused him to skip his next start...took the ball 8/16 at FLA and turned in his shortest outing since Opening Day (2.1 ip), allowing season-high 7 runs/earned...pitched just 3.0 innings 8/21 vs. SF; exited the game with no outs and a runner on first base in the 4th inning (sore right shoulder)...placed on the 15-day DL 8/22 and did not pitch again until 9/25...in his first start after returning from the DL he tossed 5.0 shutout innings 9/25 vs. STL...earned 11th win of the season 10/1 vs. MIL in the game that clinched a postseason berth for the Rox

2008

The club's ace for the season, Cook became the first Rockies starter named to the All-Star team since Shawn Chacon in 2003...earned career-high 16 wins, his first season ever with double-digit victories...finished one win shy of the Rox franchise record 17 wins...Cook's 3.96 ERA (211.1 ip, 93 er) was the lowest for a Rox starter since Jason Jennings' 3.78 ERA in 2006...Cook and Ubaldo Jimenez became the first Rox teammates to each have a sub-4.00 ERA in the same season...his 16 wins were T-7th most victories in the NL...tossed multiple complete games (2) for the 2nd straight year; was only Rox pitcher toss multiple complete games both this season and last season ('07)...had career-best 96 strikeouts, 4 more than his 2006 total (92)...was 1.1 innings shy of matching his career high innings pitched (212.2) from 2006...finished 3rd in NL with a 2.54 ground ball to fly ball ratio...forced 29 GIDP, which tied for NL lead with Mets starter Mike Pelfrey...allowed just 13 home runs, T-5th fewest off any starter in the NL; allowed multiple home runs in a game twice: 5/30 at CHC (3 HR) and 6/20 vs. NYM (2)...opponents hit .287, .297 (131-for-441) by lefties, .276 (105-for-380) vs. righties...Rox went 19-13 in his 32 starts, the most team wins among any Rox starter in '08...had 18 quality starts, tied with Jimenez for most on the club...was the starting pitcher in 9 games that ended Rockies losing streaks of 2 or more games (earned the win in 6 of those games); was the stopper for an 8-game losing streak (6/22-30) and a 7-game losing streak (9/6-13)...was the only Rox pitcher to earn a win (4 wins) in a 17-game stretch from 4/19-5/6 (club went 4-13 in that span; all 4 wins credited to Cook)...went 6-6 with a 4.19 ERA (109.2 ip, 51 er) in 16 home starts and 10-3, 3.72 ERA (101.2 ip, 42 er) in 16 road starts...his 10 road wins were T-2nd most in the NL...pitched less than 5.0 innings just once (9/3 vs. SF)...tossed 6.0 or more innings 25 times including a stretch of 8 straight starts to open the season (4/2-5/9)...posted a better ERA at night (3.88) than during the day (4.09) but had just as many wins (8) in day games as at night (8)...lost first start 4/2 at STL and took no-decision in his 2nd start 4/7 vs. ATL before winning franchise record 6 straight starts from 4/7-5/9; tossed 7.0 or more innings in 6 of the 7 starts during the winning streak...allowed one run or less in 8 starts, with the Rox going 7-1 in those games...pitched 8.0 innings and went 2-for-3 4/24 vs. CHC; retired 16 straight batters in that game...hit career-best .214 (12-for-56), which was tied for 9th-best avg. among MLB starters...went 4-1, 2.41 ERA in April, and through 5/5, the Rockies were 6-1 in his starts while going 6-18 in all others' starts...allowed season-low 3 hits 5/9 at SD...took consecutive losses 5/15-20 after winning 6 straight 4/7- 5/9...won 4 straight decisions in 5 starts from 5/25-6/15...tossed first complete game of the season 5/25 vs. NYM in the Rockies 4-1 win; allowed just 2 base runners in the final 6 innings (one error, one walk)...set new career high with his 10th win of the season 6/15 at CWS; was his only Interleague win in 2 starts vs. the AL...by earning his 10th win in the team's 69th game Cook set a franchise record by becoming the fastest Rockies pitcher to 10 wins in club history, 4 games faster than the 73 team games Shawn Estes needed to earn his 10th win in 2003...tossed CG shutout 7/1, the first of his career and the only one for a Rox pitcher in '08; needed only 79 pitches to finish the game...pitched 3.0 scoreless innings at Yankee Stadium to keep the NL tied in his first All-Star appearance...Cook became the first Rockies pitcher to earn as many as 14 victories through July, as he earned his 14th win 7/30 at PIT (7.0 ip, 4 r-er)...the previous franchise record for most wins through July was 11, accomplished by 5 separate pitchers; Kevin Ritz in 1996 (finished with 17 wins), Pedro Astacio in 1999 (17), Shawn Chacon in 2003 (11), Shawn Estes in 2004 (15) and Jeff Francis in 2007 (17)...entered September with a record of 16-8 and had 4 attempts at tying the franchise of 17 wins in a season...in those 4 starts he went 0-1 with a 4.63 ERA (23.1 ip, 12 er)...in his final attempt to tie the season record for wins on 9/14 vs. LA, he tossed 8.0 scoreless innings, matching Greg Maddux's 7.0 scoreless innings; the game went into extra innings in a scoreless tie, the first scoreless tie to reach extra frames in an MLB game played in Denver...scratched from final start of the season.

2007

The Rockies' Opening Day starter, Cook was felled by an oblique injury in mid-Aug., and his last start for Colorado came on Aug. 10...he went 8-7 with a 4.12 ERA (166.0 ip, 76 er) in 25 games/starts for the Rockies...was only Rockie to toss multiple complete games in '07, as his two complete games matched his career high...had third-lowest groundball/ flyball ratio in NL at 2.78...averaged 3.31 strikeouts per nine innings, the lowest ratio of any Major League pitcher (minimum 162.0 ip)...had the lowest qualifying ERA by any Rockie...posted second-most wins, starts, and innings of his career...had enough innings to qualify for ERA title, as his 4.12 ERA is the lowest qualifying figure he has ever compiled...of 87 runs allowed in '07, 49 were given up with two outs (56.3%)...opponents hit .279, .263 (84-for-320) by lefties and .295 (94-for-319) by right-handers...team was 10-15 in his starts, going 2-8 in his no decisions...made quality starts in 15 of his 25 starts...allowed multiple home runs in a game on just three occasions: May 21 at Arizona and June 23 at Toronto (two HR each), and seasonhigh three HR on June 17 vs. Tampa Bay...tossed at least 5.1 innings in all 25 starts, 6.0+ innings 22 times, 7.0+ innings on 10 occasions, and 9.0 innings three times...was 4-5, 5.31 (78.0 ip, 46 er) in 12 starts at home, 4-2, 3.07 (88.0 ip, 30 er) in 13 road starts...after start on Aug. 10 vs. Chicago-NL, was unable to throw normally during his bullpen session on Aug. 14 in San Diego...was slated to start third game of that series on Aug. 16, but instead was placed on the disabled list Aug. 16 (retroactive to Aug. 11) with a strained left oblique...after progressing while on the disabled list, Cook made a rehab start for Colorado Springs on Sept. 1 at Tacoma (1.0 ip, 4 h, 3 r-er)...lasted just 1.0 inning in that start while suffering a recurrence of his oblique injury, and was shut down for the season...was transferred to the 60-day disabled list on Sept. 16...on April 8 at San Diego, took no decision in Rox' 2-1, 10-inning defeat...Rockies scored just one run in the game, as Cook was left with a no decision despite tossing 9.0 innings in what was just the fifth nine-inning incomplete game in Rockies history...only run allowed came on a Jose Cruz Jr. solo HR with two outs in the eighth...escaped a jam in the ninth to move game into extra innings...tossed a complete game five-hitter on May 26 in San Francisco, earning his fourth straight win in Rockies' 6-1 victory...it was the first complete game by a Rockie in '07...it was his fifth career complete game, first since the season finale in 2005, Oct. 2, 2005 at New York-NL...needed only 74 pitches to toss his second complete game of the season in Rockies' 10-2 victory (9.0 ip, 7 h, 2 r-er) on July 25 vs. San Diego...only other pitcher to do it was Twins' Carlos Silva, 74 pitches in his complete game on May 20, 2005 vs. Milwaukee at the Metrodome...only runs allowed were scored by first two batters in the game, as he gave up hits to game's first three batters, then permitted just four hits the rest of the way...also matched his career high with three hits in the complete game, becoming just the third pitcher in the last four seasons (2004-07) with as many as three hits in a complete game...only others in that span: Padres' Chan Ho Park, 6/2/06 at Pittsburgh; Expos' Livan Hernandez, 7/30/04 at Florida...finished the month of July with a 4-1 record and a 2.68 ERA (43.2 ip, 13 er) over six starts...his four wins in July matched the club record for the month, joining Pedro Astacio (1999), Jason Jennings (2004), and Darren Oliver (2003) as the only Rox pitcher with four wins in July...his 2.68 ERA (43.2 ip, 13 er) for the month was 10th best in the NL, and the fourth-lowest figure ever by a Rockie in July (minimum 25.0 ip)...went 3-1, 2.41 (41.0 ip, 11 er) his last six starts to drop final season figure from 4.68 to 4.12, lowest ERA since May 26 (4.11)...had quality starts in seven of his last nine outings, going 4-2, 2.76 (62.0 ip, 19 er) in last nine starts to drop from 4.93.

2006

In his first full season in the Major Leagues, Rox' No. 2 starter established career highs in nearly every category, going 9-15 with a 4.23 ERA (212.2 ip, 100 er) in 32 games/starts for Colorado...garnered the seventh-lowest run support among qualifying N.L. pitchers, averaging just 4.40 runs of support per nine innings...Rockies scored two runs or less in 11 of his 15 defeats...had third-highest ground ball/fly ball ratio in the N.L., fifth-best in majors at 2.77 grounders per fly ball...averaged just 0.72 home runs allowed per nine innings, fourth-lowest figure in the National League...led the staff with 212.2 innings, the fourth-highest single season total in franchise history, and tied for team lead with 32 starts...ranked second on club with 18 quality starts and third with a 4.23 ERA...his 4.23 ERA is the sixth-lowest qualifying figure in team history...his 15 losses led the club and ranked T3rd-most in the league...matched the third-highest single season loss total in franchise history...had 13 sac bunts at the plate, T9th-most in the league...induced 28 grounded into double plays, most on staff and fifth-most in the N.L...allowed just two home runs in 14 starts and 87.2 innings on the road, easily most innings away from home while allowing as few as two HR in '06...both of his road HR allowed came in his 13th road start, Sept. 2 at Los Angeles...won four straight decisions over a span of five starts from April 27-May 19, longest win streak by a Rockies starter in '06...lost four straight decisions over five starts from May 24-June 16, matching longest losing streak by a Colorado starter this season...team was 10-22 in his starts, going 1-7 in Cook's no decisions...closer Brian Fuentes had six blown saves in '06, three of which came in Cook starts with him in line for the win...his season-ending ERA actually matched its highest point all season after his first two starts...his ERA was under 4.00 nearly all year until mid-August...pitched 6.0+ innings in 28 of 32 starts and tossed 7.0+ frames on 14 occasions, including season-high 8.0 frames six times...recorded season-high six strikeouts on May 13 at Houston, winning matchup with Roy Oswalt...his 3.96 home ERA is fourth-lowest single season figure in Rockies history...his 125.0 innings at home in '06 shattered the previous club record, 112.0 frames by Pedro Astacio in 1998...went 2-10, 5.63 (100.2 ip, 63 er) in 16 starts vs. N.L. West, 7-5, 2.97 (112.0 ip, 37 er) in his other 16 outings...went 5-5, 3.31 (73.1 ip, 27 er) in first 11 starts through the end of May...allowed nine runs over 13.0 innings in first 2 starts in June, raising season mark to 3.75...had a 2.45 ERA (22.0 ip, 6 er) over final three games in June to drop to 3.49...beginning July 3 at San Francisco, had a 5.00 ERA (104.1 ip, 58 er) over final 16 starts to finish at 4.23...started Rockies' 2nd game of the year, taking 4-2 loss on April 5 vs. Arizona despite quality start...took loss in third start April 16 vs. Philadelphia, allowing just a Ryan Howard solo homer in 8.0 innings, as he lost what was just the second 1-0 game in Coors Field history...took 2-0 loss on May 30 at San Diego when opposing starter Chris Young took a no-hitter into the eighth...Rockies scored 12 runs in Cook's win on June 27 at LA of Anaheim...that would be his last road win of the year, as he would go 0-5 in final six outings away from home.

2005

Returning from nearly a year between major league outings, Aaron posted a career-high seven wins in just over two months with the Rockies...went 7-2 with a 3.67 ERA (83.1 ip, 34 er) in 13 games/starts for Colorado after his return, displaying the same form he had shown prior to diagnosis of his condition the previous year...despite missing the first four months of the season, still managed to rank among Rockies leaders in wins (3rd), innings (6th) and starts (6th)...left with a lead in each of his four no decisions before bullpen registered blown saves in every contest...tossed two complete games, first Colorado pitcher with multiple complete games in a season since both Pedro Astacio (4) and Mike Hampton (2) accomplished the feat in 2001...had 10 quality starts in his 13 games, T3rd-most among Rockies...Rockies were 9-4 in his 2005 starts...his 7 wins were most in last seven seasons (beginning 1999) by a Major League pitcher with 13 or fewer games...last pitcher with seven or more wins in 13 or fewer games was former Rockie Armando Reynoso, who won seven of his 11 games/starts for the Mets in 1998...his seven wins after the beginning of August ranked T4th-most in NL, trailing only a trio of pitchers who had eight victories: Jon Lieber, Andy Pettitte and Dontrelle Willis...his seven wins after the All-Star break matched the fourth-highest total in club history, despite the fact he did not record a victory until mid-August...pitched 6.0 or more innings in 10 of 13 outings while holding opponents to two runs or less in eight of 13 starts...allowed six of his eight home runs on the road...opponents batted .301 (101-for-335), with lefties at .317 (60-for-189) and right-handers at .281 (41-for-146)...opposing batters hit just .202 (17-for-84) with runners in scoring position...went 3-0, 2.81 (32.0 ip, 10 er) in four starts in day games, tossing both of his complete games in the daytime...went 4-0, 2.35 (46.0 ip, 12 er) in seven games/starts against NL West teams...had a groundball/flyball ratio of 3.08, a figure which would have been third-highest in Majors if he qualified...averaged just 3.32 pitches per batter faced, a mark that would have ranked as third-lowest in majors had he posted enough innings to qualify...made his return to Major Leagues on July 30 vs. Philadelphia, taking loss in Rockies' 8-7 defeat...allowed seven runs on 11 hits over 4.1 innings in his return, first big league appearance since Aug. 7, 2004...Rox came back from an early 7-1 deficit in the game, but couldn't tie it...Cook would go 6-0, 2.48 (65.1 ip, 18 er) over his next 10 starts from Aug. 5-Sept. 22...of the 10 outings, nine were quality starts as he did not allow more than three earned runs during any game in that span...earned first win on Aug. 15 vs. Milwaukee, allowing two runs in 6.0 innings, his first of three straight winning starts...went 3-0, 2.48 (36.1 ip, 10 er) over six starts in August...won three of first four starts in September...beat Arizona on Sept. 11 at Coors Field, tossing his third career complete game, just the second by a Rockie in '05...Rox won the game 7-2 as Cook registered season-high five strikeouts...earned career-high 6th consecutive winning decision on Sept. 22 vs. San Diego, allowing two runs in 8.0 innings...the six straight wins was one shy of matching the club record for a starter...took loss on Sept. 27 at Atlanta, allowing seven runs (six earned) in 4.2 innings, his 2nd-shortest outing of the season...tossed complete game in season finale on Oct. 2 at New York (NL), allowing three runs, all solo homers, in 9.0 innings of Colorado's 11-3 victory...was the first time in franchise history to have a complete game on the last day of the season...joined San Francisco's Brett Tomko as only hurlers with complete games on final day of regular season in 2005...marked first complete game victories by individual pitchers on the final day of the season since a pair of pitchers accomplished the feat 1999...Cook allowed eigth home runs in '05, each coming in his final five outings...permitted multiple home runs in a game just twice in first 45 career starts, but did so three times in final five outings of '05, including career-high three HR allowed in season finale on Oct. 2 at New York-NL...prior to his return, went a combined 2-1, 5.06 (32.0 ip, 18 er) in seven rehab games/starts at four different levels...posted 17 K's against eight walks...began his road back with a pair of starts for Tri-City Dust Devils, retiring 22 of 23 batters faced in the Northwest League...next start was lone Cal League outing, earning win for Modesto on July 5 vs. Visalia...his fourth overall rehab start came for Tulsa of the Texas League on July 10 at Springfield, taking loss in Drillers' 12-5 defeat...made final 3 rehab starts for Colorado Springs, where he had spent time each of previous three seasons, going 1-0 with a 5.51 ERA (16.1 ip, 10 er).

2004

Aaron saw his 2004 season come to an abrupt end, just when he had hit a dominant stretch, due to blood clots in both lungs...he was forced to leave in the 3rd inning of his Aug. 7th start vs. Cincinnati complaining of dizziness and shortness of breath...he was placed on the 60-day disabled list Aug. 8, effectively ending his 2004 season...Aaron's diagnosis came just six days after the right-hander hurled his second career complete game, a 10-2 victory over the Diamondbacks on Aug. 1 at Coors Field...that effort capped off a five-start stretch in which Cook was 3-1 with a 1.96 ERA from July 10-Aug. 1 (36.2 ip, 8 er)...from July 24-Aug. 1, "Cookie" was 4-2 with a 2.78 ERA over 8 starts, which included matchups against Ben Sheets twice, Odalis Perez twice, Jason Schmidt and Brian Lawrence...despite making just 16 starts overall, Aaron recorded 6 wins, going 6-4 with a 4.28 ERA and one complete game...half of his 16 outings were quality starts...he was a perfect 4-0 on the road with a 3.07 ERA, while going 2-4 at home with a 5.30 ERA...posted a 2.48 ERA in 5 outings after the break (32.2 ip, 9 er)...went to spring training with a chance at making the Rockies' Opening Day rotation for the 2nd straight year but was optioned to Colorado Springs (AAA) on March 24...was 3-1 with a 2.74 ERA and one complete game shutout in 7 starts for the Sky Sox before being recalled on May 17...made his 2004 debut that afternoon against the Phillies, a no decision in a 7-6 Rockies victory...earned his first win of the season on June 1, a 7-1 victory over the Padres at PETCO Park...the No. 4 and 5 starters had been 0-11 prior to Cook's effort...it was Aaron's first victory since July 26, 2003 vs. Milwaukee and first as a starter since July 9, 2003 vs. San Francisco...gave up a career-high 8 runs (all earned) in a 16-4 loss to the Giants on June 6 in Denver, his first career defeat at Coors Field...posted career-high 7 K's over 5.0 innings in a losing effort on June 17 vs. Boston...on June 24 at Milwaukee, held Brewers to 9 hits, all singles, over 8.0 scoreless innings in a 3-0 combined shutout...Sheets won the rematch a week later at Coors, a 5-4 Brewers victory on June 30...won back-to-back starts July 5 at San Francisco and July 10 at San Diego, marking only the 2nd time he had ever won consecutive starting assignments (also Sept. 6-11, 2002)...beginning with that July 10th outing, Cook did not allow more than 3 runs in any of his last 6 starts...recorded his fifth victory on July 27, a 7-2 decision over the Dodgers...hurled Colorado's only 9-inning complete game of the season on Aug. 1 vs. Arizona (10-2 win)...it was his 2nd career CG and first since April 18, 2003 vs. San Diego...Aaron worked 7.0 or more innings in 4 consecutive starts, July 17-Aug. 1, first Rockie to do that since Mike Hampton, May 9-25, 2001.

2003

A member of Colorado's Opening Day rotation, Aaron started 16 games before turning in 27 relief appearances...Cook finished his rookie season 4-6 with a 6.02 ERA and one complete game (124.0 ip, 83 er)...allowed 160 hits over his 124.0 innings (.317 avg against), walking 58 while striking out 43...also threw a staff-leading 10 wild pitches...was 3-6 with a 6.00 ERA in his 16 starts (87.0 ip, 58 er) and 1-0 with a 6.08 ERA in his 27 relief outings (37.0 ip, 25 er)...retired 23 of his 27 first batters faced in relief (85%) and allowed just 2-of-10 inherited runners to score...all 4 of his wins this season came at Coors Field, where the righty was 4-0 with a 6.49 ERA in 21 appearances, 7 starts (61.0 ip, 44 er)...was winless on the road, 0-6 with a 5.57 ERA in 22 games, 9 starts (63.0 ip, 39 er)...has only one career road victory, that coming Sept. 11, 2002 at Minute Maid Park...overall, the Rockies were 4-12 in his starting assignments...opened 5-for-10 at the plate with 2 RBI but then went 0-for-his-last-19 to finish the year hitting .172...after a solid spring, the 24-year old was inserted as the club's second starter behind Jason Jennings and began the season with a no decision April 2 at Houston...went 0-1 with a 7.80 ERA in his first three outings, all Rockies defeats...got into the win column with his first career complete game, a 12-1 victory over the Padres on April 18 at Coors...allowed only one Padre past second base in his first eight frames and came within two outs of a shutout...became the first Rockie to throw a complete game since Denny Neagle on Aug. 30, 2002 at San Diego (8.0 innings in a loss)...first 9.0 inning CG win by a Rockie since John Thomson tossed a 5-hit shutout on Sept. 30, 2001 vs. Milwaukee...Aaron also went 3-for-5 during that complete effort for his career first multi-hit game...it fell one shy of the franchise record for most hits by a pitcher set by Thomson on June 1, 1997 at Florida...Aaron wound up 1-2 with a 7.26 ERA in April (31.0 ip, 25 er)...rebounded with a solid May in which he gave up 10 earned runs over 29.1 innings (3.07 ERA) but only had a 1-2 record to show for it...allowed 3 or less runs in each of his five May starts while working 6.0 or more innings in four of those...ended the month with a 7-3 victory vs. Los Angeles on May 27...gave up 8 hits, all singles, over 6.1 innings, his longest outing since going the distance on April 18...began June with a pair of road losses, June 1 at San Francisco (0-4) and June 11 at Minnesota (4-7)...sandwiched in the middle was an unofficial "rainout" start on June 6 vs. Kansas City, which may have been his best of b03...was leading 3-1 in the top of the fifth when the rains arrived at Coors Field...had gone 59.1 consecutive innings without allowing a home run until San Diego's Mark Kotsay took him deep on June 16 at Coors Field...Aaron's homerless stretch began on April 30 and lasted seven full starts...after that June 16th outing, Cook was then optioned to AAA-Colorado Springs of the Pacific Coast League on June 17...his stay in the minors didn't last long, just two starts with a 1-1, 2.25 record and one complete game (June 27 vs. Oklahoma)...rejoined the Rockies on July 4 and started that afternoon in a no decision at Miller Park...gave up 5 runs on 9 hits over 4.0 innings but the Rox rallied to defeat Milwaukee 8-6...made his 16th and final start July 9 vs. San Francisco and won an 11-7 decision over Foppert...tied a club record by throwing 3 wild pitches in that July 9th outing, first Rockie to do that since Bryan Rekar on April 15, 1996 vs. San Diego...Cook then moved into the bullpen and made his 2003 relief debut on July 13 vs. Los Angeles (1.0 ip, 3 h, 2 er)...really settled down after the All-Star Break, as he allowed just 1 run over his first eight appearances and 13.2 innings (0.66 ERA)...picked up his first career relief win during that stretch, working 2.1 shutout IP on July 26 vs. Milwaukee...that effort kicked off a personal-best 9.2 scoreless innings streak from July 26 to Aug. 8.

2002

Cook began the year in Double-A, was promoted to Triple-A by mid-June and cracked the big leagues by the beginning of August...the right-hander's quick rise to the top earned him Rockies Minor League Pitcher of the Year honors...opened the year with the Carolina Mudcats of the Southern League (AA) where he was named a mid-season All-Star...was unable to participate in the league All-Star game as he was promoted to Colorado Springs (AAA) on June 17...recalled from Triple-A on Aug. 9, Cook made his major league debut the next day, Aug. 10 vs. Chicago-NL in relief...gave up a home run to his first batter faced, Moises Alou (0-2 pitch), but then retired 7 of his next 8...after 3 more appearances, he moved into the rotation when Shawn Chacon was optioned on Aug. 23...made his first major league start on Aug. 26 vs. San Francisco, allowing 3 runs on 9 hits with 4 walks and no strikeouts over 6.0 innings, but did not factor into the decision...recorded his first ML victory with 7.0 innings (5 h, 1 er) Sept. 6 vs. SD...earned his second win in as many starts, Sept. 11 at Houston...was aided by a 5-run fifth inning in which he recorded his first career hit and RBI, a run-scoring single off Kirk Saarloos...was 2-1 with a 4.54 ERA in a big league uniform, working at least 6.0 innings in 4 of his 5 starts...his 2 wins, combined with Jason Jennings' 16 and Denny Stark's 11, made the Rockies only the 3rd NL team since 1975 to have rookie starters combine for 29 or more victories ('84 Mets, '75 Giants)...threw a total of 195.0 innings in 2002 and led all Rockies minor leaguers with 2 shutouts and 3 complete games...at Double-A, Cook hurled back-to-back 3-hit shutouts in his last 2 starts, June 8 at Tennessee and June 13 at Greenville...was named "Best Pitching Prospect" in Southern League by Baseball America...also participated in the All-Star Futures Game at Miller Park on July 7, but took the loss in relief, allowing all 5 runs in just 0.1 ip in the World's 5-1 win over the U.S.

2001

Spent the entire season with High-A Salem, the 2001 Carolina League Champions...his 11 wins led the Avalanche, ranked 4th in the league and T2nd in the farm system...also led the staff in starts (27), innings pitched (155.0) and was 2nd with 122 strikeouts...his 3.08 ERA finished 7th in the circuit...allowed just 4 home runs in 596 at-bats (one per 149 AB)...in the Carolina League playoffs, he threw 17.0 shutout innings, including a 4-hitter in the finals against Wilmington.

2000

Opened the season where he finished 1999, at Asheville (A)...but by season's end, the organization promoted him to High-A Salem...pitched a total of 185.2 innings, more than any other pitcher in Single-A and 2nd in the organization (Jason Jennings, 187.0)...won 11 games, more than his previous 3 seasons combined...with Asheville, Cook compiled a 1.45 walks per 9.0 ip ratio (23 BB, 142.2 ip)...a SAL All-Star, his 2.96 ERA ranked 8th in league and he finished first in shutouts (2) and 2nd in complete games (4)...earned circuit's pitcher of the week honors, July 14-20...on July 27, Rockies promoted him to Salem, where he closed the season...Baseball America rated Cook the 4th-best prospect in the organization.

1999

The right-hander spent the entire season in Single-A Asheville's rotation...from April 23-June 9, he missed a month and a half on the DL with right shoulder tendinitis...still made 25 starts, more than his first 2 seasons combined (23), and pitched 2 complete games, tying for the staff lead.

1998

Opened the year at extended spring training in Tucson...moved to Portland when Northwest League play began in June and finished the season in Portland's rotation...earned NWL Pitcher of the Week, Aug. 10-16...his 15 starts ranked third in the league.

1997

At age 18, Cook launched his pro career in the Arizona Rookie League...his 3.13 ERA led the staff and ranked fifth in the circuit.