BALTIMORE – Generations of ballplayers have walked dugouts, offering some version of this timeless advice about a dominant starting pitcher: “If you’re going to get him, you’d better get him early.”
The Orioles didn’t get to Gerrit Cole in the first inning on Thursday, allowing the ace right-hander to settle in. Cole spun six strong frames, remaining in control for the rest of the evening as the Yankees secured a series sweep with a 6-1 win at Camden Yards.
Cole struck out eight, giving him 1,015 as a Yankee -- surpassing Roger Clemens (1,014) for 12th place on the franchise's all-time list.
His outing could have tilted after a Pete Alonso single and a one-out walk to Gunnar Henderson in the opening frame, but Cole avoided damage, striking out Samuel Basallo and getting Christian Encarnacion-Strand to line out to third base.
That began a string of 11 consecutive batters retired by Cole, snapped by Dylan Beavers’ home run leading off the fifth. Cole tied Clemens’ mark with a swinging strikeout of Jackson Holliday in the sixth inning, then surpassed him by getting Basallo swinging for the second out of the sixth.
Unlike in Cole’s most recent outing at Toronto, when he took a tough-luck loss, the Yankees provided plenty of support. José Caballero, Ben Rice and Heliot Ramos drove in runs to key a three-run third inning, while Luis García Jr. and Spencer Jones cracked sixth-inning homers.
Cole has permitted two earned runs or fewer in each of his last five starts, dating back to July 28 against the White Sox. He has pitched to a 1.47 ERA (30 2/3 IP, 5 ER) over that span. Cole's 22 of 23 first-pitch strikes on Thursday, good for a 95.7% first-pitch strike rate, was the highest in a game in his career.