Pitched three seasons at UCLA (2009-11), going 21-20 with five complete games and a 3.38 ERA (322.1IP, 252H, 143R/121ER, 114BB, 376K, 22HR) in 50 appearances (49 starts)…finished his career at UCLA ranked second in strikeouts, third in starts and fifth in innings pitched…was the first pitcher in school history to record three 100-strikeout seasons…in 2009, earned Freshman All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball…in 2010, was a consensus All-American, landing on the Collegiate Baseball second team and the Baseball America and NCBWA third team…finished third in the nation with 153K...Pitched for the USA Collegiate National Team in 2009 and 2010, combining to go 6-0 with a 0.92 ERA (59.0IP, 6ER) and 69K in 11 games (nine starts)…tossed 7.0 scoreless innings in Team USA’s loss to Cuba in the Gold Medal Game of the 2010 FISU World University Baseball Championships…was rated the No. 1 prospect on the team in both years by Baseball America...Is a 2008 graduate of Orange Lutheran (Calif.) H.S.as a senior, went 8-2 with a 0.47 ERA (75.2IP, 4ER) in 13 games (12 starts) and 121K while hitting .310 with 7HR and 25RBI…was named to the 2008 USA Today All-USA High School First Team, the EA Sports All-America First Team and Baseball America All-America Second Team…was selected as an AFLAC All-American as a junior in 2007…following his senior season, was rated as the top high school prospect in his class by Perfect Game Crosschecker, and the No. 17 prospect by Baseball America (No. 4 prep prospect)…was selected by the Yankees in the first round (28th overall) of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft but did not sign....With his wife, established the Gerrit and Amy Cole Foundation…during the COVID-19 pandemic, the foundation made donations to Direct Relief, an organization that coordinates with public-health and nonprofit organizations, to provide personal protective equipment and essential medical items to health workers responding to COVID-19....His wife is the younger sister of multiple-time NL All-Star SS Brandon Crawford, currently of the San Francisco Giants…both Crawford (2006-08) and Cole (2009-11) played at UCLA.
2021
In his second year with the Yankees, finished second in American League Cy Young Award voting after going 16-8 with two complete games and a 3.23 ERA (181.1IP, 151H, 69R/65ER, 41BB, 243K, 24HR) in 30 starts…opponents hit .223 (151-for-677, 24HR); LH .216 (63-for-292, 13HR); RH .229 (88-for-385, 11HR)...Was named via the player ballot to his fourth career All-Star team (also 2018-19 with Houston, 2015 with Pittsburgh)...Ranked third in the Majors in strikeouts (243, second in AL), K/9.0IP (12.06, second in AL) and K/BB (5.93, first in AL), tied for third in wins (16, first in AL) and sixth in WAR among pitchers (5.3 - FanGraphs, second in AL)…ranked second in the AL in WHIP (1.06) third in ERA (3.23) and fifth in BB/9.0IP (2.03)...Was one of five starting pitchers named to the All-MLB First Team...His 243K were the second-most by a Yankee in a single season in club history, trailing only Ron Guidry’s 248K in 35GS in 1978...His nine double-digit strikeout games were tied for the most by a Yankee in a single season in franchise history, joining David Cone (nine in 1998)…were the second-most in the Majors, trailing only Toronto’s Robbie Ray (10)...His five games with at least 12K were the most in franchise history, surpassing Al Downing’s four games in 1963...His six starts with at least 10K and 0BB were the most by any Yankee in a single season (previous: Mike Mussina - four in 2001)…were tied for the second-most by a pitcher in a single season in Major League history, trailing his own record of seven such games in 2019...His four games with at least 12K and 0BB were the most by a Yankee in a single season in franchise history, surpassing Masahiro Tanaka (three in 2017) and Mike Mussina (three in 2001)…were tied for the most by a pitcher in a season in Major League history (Cole also recorded 4G in 2019, Chris Sale had 4G in 2019 and Roger Clemens had 4G in 1997)...Did not allow a run or walk and notched at least 12K in three starts, tying the Major League single-season record…joined Pedro Martínez (three in 2 0 0 0 ) a n d S a n d y Koufax (three in 1965) as the only three pitchers to record three such games in a season (credit: Elias)...His seven games with at least 10K and 1R-orfewer were the most in franchise history (previous : Mike Mussina-5 in 2001, David Cone-5 in 1998 and Ron Guidry-5 in 1978)...Tossed at least 6.0IP without allowing a walk in nine starts, tied with Toronto’s José Berríos for the most such starts in the Majors in 2021...Made seven scoreless starts of at least 6.0 innings, tied with Los Angeles-NL’s Walker Buehler (seven) for the third-most such starts in the Majors, trailing only Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes (eight) and Philadelphia’s Zack Wheeler (eight)…his seven such starts are the most by a Yankee in a single season since Hiroki Kuroda in 2013 (eight)...Recorded at least 7K in 20 of 30 starts...Allowed 2ER-or-fewer in 21 of 30 starts and 3ER-or-fewer in 23 of his starts…allowed 40 of his 69R in seven starts (5R on 5/17 at Texas, 5R on 6/3 vs. Tampa Bay, 6R on 6/27 at Boston, 4R on 7/4-G1 vs. New York-NL, 8R on 7/29 at Tampa Bay, 7R on 9/19 vs. Cleveland and 5R on 9/29 at Toronto)...Received just 2R-or-fewer of support in 15 of his 30 starts and 3R-or-fewer of support in 19 of those starts...Tossed at least 7.0IP and allowed 2ER-or-fewer in nine starts, tied for the seventh-most in the Majors…tossed at least 6.0IP and allowed one-or-zero runs in 12 starts, tied for the ninth-most in the Majors...In 14 starts at Yankee Stadium, went 6-4 with 1CG, a 3.11 ERA (81.0IP, 28ER) and 108K…allowed 2ER-or-fewer in 11 of those 14 starts...Went 10-4 with 1CG, a 3.32 ERA (100.1IP, 37ER) and 135K in 16 road starts, allowing 1R-or-fewer in eight of those starts and 2ER-or-fewer in 10 of those starts…was just the second Yankee since 2012 to win 10 road games, joining Domingo Germán (10-3 in 2019)...Tossed at least 5.0 innings in 28-of-30 starts and at least 6.0 innings in 19-of-30 starts...His 97.8 average fastball velocity was the best in the AL and second-best in the Majors among qualified pitchers (FanGraphs)...Recorded at least 7K in 15 consecutive regular season starts from 8/8-G1/20-4/30/21, tied with Pedro Martínez (15GS, 8/19/99-5/12/00) and Nolan Ryan (15GS, 6/25-9/12/89) for the second-longest stretch by a starter in American League history, trailing only Shane Bieber (23GS from 9/20/19-5/16/21)...Allowed 2ER-or-fewer in 12 straight regular season starts from 9/5/20-5/12/21…was tied for the longest stretch by a Yankees starting pitcher in franchise history (since ER became an official stat in 1913), joining Whitey Ford’s 12-start streak from 8/10-9/28/63 and Chad Green’s 12-game stretch as an opener from 6/11/17-8/12/19-G2...His season-opening eight-game stretch (4/1-5/12) of allowing 2ER-or-fewer was the longest by a Yankees starting pitcher (excluding openers) since Michael Pineda who did so in his first nine starts of 2014 (Chad Green did so in his first 11 opening assignments of 2019)...Surrendered just 3BB in his first eight starts of the season (191BF)...Made his third career Opening Day start (also 2017 and ’20) and second with the Yankees on 4/1 vs. Toronto (ND, 5.1IP, 5H, 2ER, 2BB, 8K, 1HR)… with his 8K, became the fifth pitcher in franchise history to collect at least 8K on Opening Day, joining Tim Leary (9K in 1991), Roger Clemens (8K in 1999), David Cone (8K in 1997) and Whitey Ford (8K in 1955)…was the first Yankee to make back-to-back Opening Day starts since Masahiro Tanaka started three straight from 2015-17…was the 24th pitcher in franchise history to make multiple Opening Day starts…collected his 100th strikeout as a Yankee in the fourth inning (Teoscar Hernández, looking)...Recorded at least 8K in six consecutive starts from 4/1-30, the fourth-longest streak in franchise history… trailed only CC Sabathia (7G, 6/25-7/26/11), Mike Mussina (7G, 4/2-5/7/03) and Ron Guidry (7G, 7/14-8/15/78)… joined Mike Mussina as the only Yankees pitchers to accomplish the feat in their first six starts of a season (first seven in 2003)...Allowed 2ER-or-fewer and notched at least 8K in six straight starts from 4/1-30, tied with Mike Mussina (6GS, 4/9-5/7/03) and Ron Guidry (6GS, 7/20-8/15/78) for the second-longest such streak by a Yankees starting pitcher in franchise history (since earned runs became an official stat in the AL in 1913), trailing only CC Sabathia (7GS, 6/25-7/26/11)…was the first Yankees starter to accomplish the feat in his first six starts of a season (previous: 2GS, five times, four different pitchers)…was the third-longest streak as a starter to begin a season in the Majors since ER became an official stat in the AL in 1913, trailing only Randy Johnson (first nine starts of 2000) and Pedro Martínez (first seven starts of 2000)...Earned his first win of the season on 4/6 vs. Baltimore (7.0IP, 4H, 0R, 0BB, 13K, 1WP) after recording his 39th career double-digit strikeout game…his 13K were the most by a Yankees pitcher since Masahiro Tanaka’s 15K on 9/29/17 vs. Toronto (7.0IP)…was just the sixth Yankees pitcher (seventh time) to toss at least 7.0 scoreless innings and record at least 13K without surrendering a walk…joined Masahiro Tanaka (7.0IP, 3H, 0R, 0BB, 15K on 9/29/17 vs. Toronto), Mike Mussina (two times: 9.0IP, 3H, 0R, 0BB, 13K on 9/28/01 vs. Baltimore; 9.0IP, 1H, 0R, 0BB, 13K on 9/2/01 at Boston), David Wells (9.0IP, 2H, 0R, 0BB, 13K on 9/1/98 vs. Oakland), John Candelaria (9.0IP, 2H, 0R, 0BB, 13K on 5/22/88 vs. Oakland) and Ron Guidry (9.0IP, 4H, 0R, 0BB, 13K on 8/7/84 vs. Chicago-AL-Game 2)...Was the first Yankee in franchise history to record three straight games with at least 10K and 0BB (10K and 0BB on 4/18 vs. Tampa Bay, 11K and 0BB on 4/24 at Cleveland, 12K and 0BB on 4/30 vs. Detroit)… according to ESPN Stats & Info, his streak tied Clayton Kershaw (3G from 7/8-23/15 and 4/26-5/7/16) and Chris Archer (3G from 5/27-6/7/15) for the longest such streak since the mound was moved to its current distance in 1893...Recorded double-digit strikeouts in three consecutive starts from 4/18-30, becoming the fifth Yankee in franchise history to accomplish the feat…joined Ron Guidry (four straight from 6/2-17/78), Al Downing (four straight from 7/2-21(G1)/63), David Cone (three straight from 9/2-13/98) and Bob Turley (three straight from 5/6-15 (G2)/55)...Tossed at least 6.0IP without allowing a walk in five straight games from 4/18-5/12…was tied with Fritz Peterson’s five-game streak from 4/25-5/18/71 for the second-longest such stretch in Yankees history, trailing only David Wells’ six-game stretch from 9/6/02-4/10/03...Tossed 6.0 shutout innings on 4/30 vs. Detroit (4H, 0BB, 12K)...Was named the AL “Pitcher of the Month” for April after going 4-1 with a 1.43 ERA (37.2IP, 6ER) and 62K in six starts…his 1.43 ERA was the lowest ERA by a Yankee in the month of April since David Cone’s 1.04 ERA in 1999…his 14.81 K/9.0IP ratio was the highest ever by a Yankee in a single calendar month while his 62K were the second-most by a Yankee in a calendar month, trailing only Ron Guidry’s 64K in June 1978…his 62K were the fourth-highest by any Major League pitcher in the month of April (Shane Bieber-68K in April 2021, Randy Johnson-64K in April 2000 and 63K in April 1999)…led the AL in K/9.0IP (third in Majors), BB/9.0IP (0.72, fourth in Majors) and K/BB (20.67, second in Majors)…tied for the most wins in the Majors and ranked second in the Majors in strikeouts…was the lowest ERA by a Yankees starter who made at least six starts in a calendar month since Ron Guidry’s 0.96 ERA in six starts in September 1978…marked his fifth career “Pitcher of the Month” honor and first since September 2019…was the first Yankee to win the award since Masahiro Tanaka in May 2014...Tossed 8.0 shutout innings on 5/12 at Tampa Bay (4H, 0BB, 12K) to earn the win in the Yankees’ 1-0 victory… marked his third game in 2021 that he did not allow a run or walk and notched at least 12K, tying the Major League single-season record…joined Pedro Martínez (three in 2000) and Sandy Koufax (three in 1965) as the only three pitchers to record three such games in a season (credit: Elias)…collected his 1,500th career strikeout (Brett Phillips swinging in the third)…accomplished the feat in his 212th career game…at the time, was the second-fastest player (in terms of games) to reach the milestone, trailing only Randy Johnson who did it in his 206th career game…was later surpassed by Yu Darvish who accomplished the feat in his 197th career game on 6/21 vs. Los Angeles-NL and Jacob deGrom who notched his 1,500th strikeout in his 198th career game in Game 1 on 7/7 vs. Milwaukee…was his longest scoreless appearance since he tossed a complete-game shutout on 5/4/18 at Arizona...Surrendered a walk to Joey Gallo in the third inning on 5/17 at Texas, his first since a second-inning walk to Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in an eight-pitch plate appearance on 4/12 at Toronto in Dunedin…according to Elias, his 61K between walks was the most such strikeouts between walks in a single season since 1893…faced 149 batters between walks...Tossed 7.0 shutout innings in the Yankees’ 7-0 victory on 5/22 vs. Chicago-AL (4H, 3BB, 7K)...Allowed a career-high-tying 3HR in his loss on 6/27 at Boston...Took a no-decision in 7/4-Game 1 vs. the Mets (3.1IP, 6H, 4ER, 3BB, 6K, 1HR), his shortest regular season start as a Yankee and shortest since 9/12/16 at Philadelphia (2.0IP)…marked just the third time in his career he has tossed fewer than 4.0IP in a start (2.0IP on 6/10/16 vs. St. Louis and 2.0IP on 9/12/16 at Philadelphia)...Tossed his third career complete-game shutout in the Yankees’ 1-0 win on 7/10 at Houston (also a CGSHO in Game 1 on 9/11/20 vs. Baltimore-7.0IP; CGSHO on 5/4/18 at Arizona-9.0IP)…struck out 12 batters, recording his sixth double-digit strikeout game of the season…was the first Yankees pitcher to toss a complete-game shutout and notch at least 12K since Mike Mussina on 9/24/02 vs. Tampa Bay (12K)…was just the fifth Yankees pitcher in the last 39 seasons (since 1983) to toss a complete-game shutout in a 1-0 win, joining CC Sabathia (7/10/11 vs. Tampa Bay), Ted Lilly (6/22/02 at San Diego), Mike Mussina (9/2/01 at Boston) and Shawn Hillegas (7/20/92 at Oakland)…was his first career win vs. Houston…has now collected a win against all 30 Major League teams… tossed a career-high 129 pitches, the most by a Yankee since Randy Johnson threw 129 pitches on 7/19/06 vs. Seattle…marked the most by any Major League pitcher since Oakland’s Mike Fiers on 5/7/19 vs. Cincinnati...Earned his 10th win of the season after tossing his second straight complete game on 7/17 vs. Boston (6.0IP, 5H, 1ER, 2BB, 11K)…was just the second Yankee in the last 23 seasons (since 1999) to toss back-to-back complete games, joining CC Sabathia who did so from 4/16-22/10 (6.0IP on 4/16 vs. Texas and 8.0IP on 4/22 at Oakland)…reached double-digit wins for the seventh time in his career (also 2013-15, ‘17-19)...Took the loss on 7/29 at Tampa Bay (5.1IP, 6H, 8R/7ER, 2BB, 10K, 1HR)…his 8R allowed were the second-most runs he has ever allowed in his career (9R on 4/20/19 at Texas)…his 7ER allowed matched the second-most he has ever allowed, trailing only his 8ER on 4/20/19 at Texas…recorded his fourth straight double-digit strikeout game at the Trop, the longest such stretch by a visiting player at the venue…is tied for the second-longest such streak at the Trop by any player, trailing only Tyler Glasnow’s six-game streak (4/12/21-present)...Was placed on the COVID-19 injured list on 8/3 and reinstated on 8/16, missing 12 team games...After being reinstated from the COVID I.L. on 8/16, went 5-1 with a 1.35 ERA (33.1IP, 5ER) and 48K in his next six starts (8/16-9/14)...Won four straight starts from 8/16-9/1 for the first time since winning eight consecutive starts from 9/8/19- 8/3/20…posted a 0.73 ERA (24.2IP, 2ER) with 39K in that span... Posted a career-long 21.2 scoreless inning streak from 8/16-9/1, the longest scoreless streak by a Yankee in 2021 and the longest by a Yankee since CC Sabathia’s 23.2 scoreless inning streak in 2011…was the ninth-longest scoreless streak in the Majors in 2021...Tossed 6.0 scoreless innings and earned the win on 8/21 vs. Minnesota, his sixth scoreless start of the season...Struck out Sean Murphy swinging in the sixth inning on 8/27 at Oakland to record his 200th strikeout of the season…was the 16th Yankee (19th time) to record at least 200K in a season and first since Luis Severino (2017- 18)…reached the milestone in 24 starts, the fastest Yankee in franchise history to accomplish the feat (previous: David Cone - 25 starts in 1997)…tossed 6.0 scoreless innings, his seventh scoreless start of the season...Struck out a season-high 15 batters on 9/1 at Los Angeles-AL (7.0IP, 4H, 1ER, 0BB, 0HR)…became just the eighth Yankee in franchise history to record 15K in a game, joining Masahiro Tanaka (15K in 7.0IP on 9/29/17 vs. Toronto), Michael Pineda (16K in 7.0IP on 5/10/15 vs. Baltimore), David Wells (16K in 9.0IP on 7/30/97 vs. Oakland), David Cone (16K in 8.0IP on 6/23/97 at Detroit), Ron Guidry (18K in 9.0IP on 6/17/78 vs. California), Whitey Ford (15K in 14.0IP on 4/22/59 at Washington-AL) and Bob Shawkey (15K in 9.0IP on 9/27/19 at Philadelphia-AL-Game 2)…was just the third Yankee in franchise history to record at least 15K without surrendering a walk, joining Pineda and Tanaka…marked his third career game with at least 15K (also 16K on 5/4/18 at Arizona with Houston and 15K on 9/8/19 vs. Seattle with Houston)...Left his start on 9/7 vs. Toronto with left hamstring tightness (L, 3.2IP, 5H, 3R/2ER, 2BB, 2K, 1HR, 1BK)...Took the loss in the Yankees’ 11-1 defeat on 9/19 vs. Cleveland, allowing a season-high-tying 7ER in 5.2 innings (10H, 1BB, 7K, 2HR, 1HP)…marked just the sixth time in his career that he has allowed 7ER in a game… allowed a season-high 10H, his most in a game since 6/30/17 vs. San Francisco (also 10H)…marked just the 10th time in his career that he has allowed double-digit hits…recorded his 231st strikeout of the season with his strikeout of Andrés Giménez in the sixth inning…surpassed Luis Severino (230K in 31GS in 2017) and CC Sabathia (230K in 33GS in 2011) for third place on the Yankees single-season strikeout list...n his final regular season start on 9/29 at Toronto, struck out Teoscar Hernández in the third inning to surpass Jack Chesbro’s 239K in 1904 for second place on the single-season strikeout list in franchise history...Started the AL Wild Card Game at Boston and took the loss, allowing 3ER in 2.0IP (4H, 2BB, 3K, 2HR).
2020
In his first year with the Yankees, went 7-3 with two complete games and a 2.84 ERA (73.0IP, 53H, 27R/23ER, 17BB, 94K, 14HR) in 12 starts…opponents hit .197 (53-for-269, 14HR); LH .191 (21-for-110, 9HR); RH .201 (32- for-159, 5HR)...Placed fourth in AL Cy Young Award voting and received 50 total points, including two second place votes and six third place votes…was named to the 2020 All-MLB Second Team...Among Major League leaders, tied for third in wins (7, tied for second in AL), tied for fifth in starts (12, tied for second in AL), ranked sixth in strikeouts (94, third in AL), seventh in opponents’ BA (.197, fourth in AL) and WHIP (0.96, fourth in AL), eighth in K/9.0IP (11.59, third in AL), ninth in K/BB (5.53, fifth in AL), tied for 10th in BB/9.0IP (2.10, sixth in AL) and 12th in ERA (2.84, sixth in AL)...His 97.1 average fastball velocity was the best in the AL (tied for fourth in the Majors) among qualified pitchers (FanGraphs)...Tossed at least 7.0IP and allowed 1R-or-fewer in four starts, tied for the second-most in the Majors (Yu Darvish-5)...Allowed 2ER-or-fewer in eight of his 12 starts…tossed at least 6.0 innings eight times...Was one of 12 pitchers in the Majors to record three-or-more double-digit strikeout games...Allowed one-or-zero walks in seven of his 12 starts…his 5.53 K/BB ratio (94K/17BB) was the fifth-highest in the AL…his 2.10 BB/9.0IP ratio was the sixth-best in the AL...The Yankees went 8-4 in Cole’s 12 starts, tied for the seventh-most team wins by a Major League starter this season (San Diego went 10-2 in Dinelson Lamet’s starts; Atlanta went 10-1 in Max Fried’s starts; Cleveland went 10-2 in Shane Bieber’s starts; Toronto went 9-3 in Hyun Jin Ryu’s starts; Chicago-NL went 9-3 in Yu Darvish’s starts; Tampa Bay went 9-2 in Tyler Glasnow’s starts)... Recorded at least 7K in his final nine starts of the season from 8/8(G1)-9/22, the longest such stretch by a Yankees pitcher in franchise history (previous: 7G-5x, most recently by Nathan Eovaldi from 8/19/15-4/20/16)...Made six starts at Yankee Stadium, going 4-1 with 1CG and a 2.09 ERA (38.2IP, 9ER)…tossed at least 6.0IP and allowed 2ER-or-fewer in five of those six starts…ranked 10th in the Majors and sixth in the AL in home ERA...In six road starts, went 3-2 with 1CG and a 3.67 ERA (34.1IP, 14ER)...The Yankees went 5-0 in his first five starts, marking only the third time since 2011 that the Yankees went 5-0 in a pitcher’s first five starts of a season with the club (excluding openers): also J.A. Happ’s first 5GS with the Yankees in 2018 and Brandon McCarthy’s 5GS with the Yankees in 2014...Made his Yankees debut and second career Opening Day start on 7/23 at Washington (also 2017 for Pittsburgh), earning the win in the Yankees’ 4-1 rain-shortened victory…was the Yankees third different Opening Day starter in three years (Luis Severino in 2018 and Masahiro Tanaka in 2019)…was credited with a complete-game one-hitter (5.0IP, 1H, 1ER, 1BB, 5K, 1HR, 1HP)…was his third career complete game (also 9.0IP on 7/27/16 vs. Seattle w/ Pittsburgh and 9.0IP on 5/4/18 at Arizona w/ Houston)...Made his Yankees home debut on 8/3 vs. Philadelphia and earned the win (6.0IP, 5H, 1ER, 1BB, 4K, 1HR)...Collected his 36th career double-digit strikeout game and first as a Yankee in Game 1 on 8/8 at Tampa Bay, allowing 3ER with 10K in 4.2IP (6H, 1BB, 1HR) without recording a decision…became only the second pitcher in franchise history to record at least 10K without completing 5.0IP (also Masahiro Tanaka with 10K in 4.0IP on 6/17/17 at Oakland)…was his shortest career 10K start, marking only the second time in his career he collected at least 10K without completing 6.0IP (also 10K in 5.0IP on 9/29/19 at Los Angeles-AL)...Had his 20-game winning streak snapped in Game 1 on 8/26 at Atlanta…was part of a 28-start undefeated stretch from 5/27/19-8/19/20, during which he went 20-0 with a 1.97 ERA (182.2IP, 114H, 43R/40ER, 37BB, 270K, 25HR)…was tied for the third-longest winning streak in Baseball history, the longest since Chicago-NL’s Jake Arrieta also won 20 consecutive decisions from 8/4/15-5/25/16…his 28-start undefeated streak was tied with Kris Medlen (2009-12) and Dave McNally (1968-69) for the second-longest in Major League history…only Roger Clemens (30GS from 1998-99) had a longer undefeated streak as a starter...His loss in Game 1 on 8/26 at Atlanta (5.0IP, 5H, 5ER, 2BB, 9K, 3HR) was his first loss since 5/22/19 vs. Chicago-AL…allowed a leadoff HR to Ronald Acuña Jr., his fifth leadoff HR allowed in his career…his 3HR allowed matched a career high (fifth time, first since 7/12/19 at Texas)…his 5R were his most in a game since 5/22/19 vs. Chicago-AL (6R)…his loss also snapped his career-best nine-game winning streak on the road (4/30/19- 7/29/20)…was the longest road winning streak by a starting pitcher in the Majors since Shane Bieber’s nine-game winning streak from 6/27/18-4/16/19…also snapped a career-best 15-game undefeated streak on the road…went 9-0 with a 1.83 ERA (93.1IP, 19ER) in those 15 starts...Lost three straight starts from 8/26(G1)-9/5, matching the second-longest losing streak of his career (five losses from 8/7/16-4/3/17)…was just his fourth time recording a loss in three consecutive starts (also 7/4-14/13, 8/24/16-4/3/17 and 7/30-8/10/18)…allowed at least 4R in each of those three games, tied for the second-longest such streak of his career (allowed 4R in four straight starts from 5/22-6/8/17)…allowed 14R/10ER over that three-game stretch (5.63 ERA) after allowing only 11ER in his first six starts of the season (2.75 ERA)...Allowed at least 1HR in a career-high 10-straight games from 9/29/19-9/5/20…was one of two pitchers in franchise history to allow at least 1HR in each of his first nine games of a season (also Phil Hughes, 12 straight to begin 2012)…of his 27R allowed in 2020, 18 came via the homer (10 solo HRs and four two-run HRs)...Went 3-1 with a 1.00 ERA (27.0IP, 3ER) with 34K in four September starts…posted the second-lowest ERA in the Majors during the month of September (min. 25.0IP) and the lowest ERA by Yankees pitcher in a calendar month (min. 25.0IP) since Hiroki Kuroda’s 0.55 ERA (33.0IP, 2ER) in July 2013…was only the ninth Yankee in franchise history to record a 1.00 ERA or lower and at least 30K in a single calendar month, joining CC Sabathia (0.92 ERA and 50K in July 2011), David Cone (0.69 ERA and 35K in July 1998), Ron Guidry (0.96 ERA and 36K in September 1978), Al Downing (0.92 ERA and 33K in August 1969), Whitey Ford (0.90 ERA and 33K in September 1963), Red Ruffing (1.00 ERA and 33K in May 1938), Lefty Gomez (0.60 ERA and 34K in September 1937) and Johnny Allen (0.99 ERA and 31K in July 1935)...Tossed at least 6.0IP and allowed 1ER-or-fewer in his final four regular season starts from 9/5-22, only the third Yankee (fourth time) since 2001 to do so in four consecutive appearances (Masahiro Tanaka - 4G from 4/18-6/19/15; CC Sabathia - 5G from 6/20-7/11/10 and 6/25-7/16/11)...Tossed at least 7.0IP and allowed 1R-or-fewer in each of his final three regular season starts…was only the third Yankee (fourth time) since 2005 to accomplish the feat, joining CC Sabathia (5G, 6/25-7/16/11) and Iván Nova (3G from 6/6-17/12 and 7/27-8/9/13)...Including the postseason, went 5-1 with a 1.79 ERA (45.1IP, 9ER) and 64K in his final seven starts from 9/5-10/9 (four in the regular season, three in the postseason)...Struck out 10 batters on 9/5 at Baltimore, his 38th career double-digit strikeout game and third of 2020… struck out each of his first four batters faced, five of his first six and eight of his first nine…retired his first 11BF…struck out Pedro Severino (looking) to lead off the second inning for his 1,400th career strikeout... Snapped his three-game losing streak in Game 1 on 9/11 vs. Baltimore, posting his first scoreless outing as a Yankee (7.0IP, 2H, 1BB, 9K)…was his fourth career complete game and second of the season (also a rain-shortened 5.0-inning win on Opening Day at Washington)…was the first Yankee with multiple complete games in the same season since Masahiro Tanaka had three in 2014…was his second career complete game shutout (also a 9.0-inning one-hitter on 5/4/18 at Arizona)…was the first Yankee with two complete games wins of less than nine innings in the same season since Allie Reynolds in 1952 (8/5 at Washington, 7.0IP and 8/16 at Boston, 6.0IP)…did not allow a hit or a walk until he issued a two-out walk to Ryan Mountcastle in the fourth and did not allow a hit until Hanser Alberto’s two-out single in the fifth...Earned his 100th career win (in his 203rd game) on 9/16 vs. Toronto, becoming the 38th pitcher in Baseball history to reach 100 wins within his first 203 career games and just the fourth to do so since 2000 (also Mark Mulder, Roy Oswalt and Justin Verlander)…did not allow a hit until a Jonathan Villar double to lead off the sixth inning…retired 15 of his first 16 batters faced (1BB)...Made three postseason starts, going 2-0 with a 2.95 ERA (18.1IP, 6ER) and 30K…with 13K in ALWCS Game 1, 8K in ALDS Game 1 and 9K in ALDS Game 5, became the first pitcher in franchise history to record at least 8K in three straight postseason appearances…was the first Yankees pitcher to record at least 8K in back-to-back postseason games since Roger Clemens in 2001 World Series Games 3 and 7…has done so in four straight postseason games overall since Game 5 of the 2019 World Series, the longest streak by a Major League pitcher since Clayton Kershaw’s four-game streak from 2014-15…only Randy Johnson (eight games from 1997-2001), Curt Schilling (six games in 2001) and Sandy Koufax (five games from 1963-65) have longer streaks...Made his Yankees postseason debut in AL Wild Card Series Game 1 vs. Cleveland, striking out 13 batters to earn the win (7.0IP, 6H, 2ER, 0BB, 1HR, 1WP)…marked his third career postseason game with at least 12K, the most by a pitcher in Major League history…was the second-highest total by a Yankee in a postseason game, trailing only Roger Clemens’ 15K in 2000 ALCS Game 4 at Seattle…was just the second pitcher in Major League history to record at least 13K and not issue a walk in a postseason game (also Tom Seaver’s 13K and 0BB in 1973 NLCS Game 1 at Cincinnati)…his 13K were the most by a pitcher in his Yankees postseason debut (previous: 10K by Dave Righetti in 1981 ALDS Game 2 at Milwaukee and 10K by Red Ruffing in 1932 World Series Game 1 vs. Chicago-NL)…was only the second Yankee since 2004 to record double-digit strikeouts in a postseason game (also Hiroki Kuroda’s 11K in 2012 ALCS Game 2 vs. Detroit)…marked his second career postseason game with at least 13K (also 15K in 2019 ALDS Game 2 vs. Tampa Bay), becoming the second pitcher in Major League history to record at least 13K in two postseason games (also Bob Gibson: 13K in 1964 World Series Game 5 at the Yankees and 17K in 1968 World Series Game 1 vs. Detroit)...Earned the win in ALDS Game 1 at Tampa Bay in San Diego (6.0IP, 6H, 3ER, 2BB/1IBB, 8K, 2HR)…was his eighth career postseason win in his 12th career postseason appearance…according to STATS, joined Orlando Hernández (nine wins) as the only pitchers in Major League history to earn at least eight wins in their first 12 playoff appearances...Started on short rest for the first time in his career in ALDS Game 5, allowing his only hit in 5.1IP on a fifth-inning solo HR by Austin Meadows (1H, 1ER, 2BB, 9K, 1HR, 1HP)…his 9K were tied for the second-most by a Yankee in a “winner take all” game behind only Roger Clemens (10K in 2001 World Series Game 7 at Arizona)…was the first pitcher in Major League history to record at least 9K and allow 1H-or-fewer in a “winner take all” game… his strikeout of Austin Meadows to start the game was the 100th strikeout of his postseason career, becoming the fastest to 100K in the postseason in Major League history (79.0IP), surpassing the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw (80.0IP).
2019
In his second year with Houston, finished second in American League Cy Young Award voting after going 20-5 with an AL-best 2.50 ERA (212.1IP, 142H, 66R/59ER, 48BB, 326K, 29HR) in 33 starts..set career highs in wins, innings pitched and strikeouts...posted a 2.64 FIP (FanGraphs)...opponents hit .186 (142-for-762, 29HR); LH .175 (67-for-383, 17HR); RH .198 (75-for-379, 12HR)...Led Major League pitchers in strikeouts, K/9.0IP ratio (13.82), strikeout rate (39.9%) and WAR (7.4, FanGraphs), while ranking second in wins and WHIP (0.89) and fourth in innings..led the AL in ERA and opponent OPS (.579) and ranked second in opponents' BA...Was one of five pitchers named to the inaugural All-MLB First Team...Was named to his third All-Star team, but did not pitch in the AL's 4-3 win in Cleveland...His 326K were an Astros single-season record and the 14th-highest total in Baseball's Modern Era (since 1900)..was just the sixth pitcher in that span to reach the mark, joining Randy Johnson (5x), Nolan Ryan (5x), Bob Feller, Sandy Koufax and Rube Waddell..marked the Majors' highest strikeout total since Arizona's Randy Johnson (334) in 2002 and the highest by an AL pitcher since California's Nolan Ryan (341) in 1977..was the third pitcher in Astros history to record 300K in a season, following J.R. Richard (313 in 1979; 303 in 1978) and Mike Scott (306 in 1986); was joined by Justin Verlander (300K) in 2019...Set a Major League record with a 13.82 K/9.0IP ratio (326K/212.1IP), surpassing Arizona's Randy Johnson (13.41) in 2001...marked the fewest innings in a 300-strikeout season in Baseball history...Became the fourth pitcher in Major League history to notch double-digit strikeouts at least 21 times in one season, joining Arizona's Randy Johnson (23 in 1999, 23 in 2000, 23 in 2001), Los Angeles-NL's Sandy Koufax (21 in 1965) and California's Nolan Ryan (23 in 1973)...beginning 8/7, became the first pitcher ever to compile a streak of nine consecutive double-digit-strikeout performances...recorded at least 10K with 0BB a Major league record seven times...Over his final 22 regular-season starts (beg. 5/27), went 16-0 with a 1.78 ERA (146.2IP, 88H, 32R/29ER, 31BB, 226K, 18HR)...is tied for the 10th-longest winning streak in Baseball history, the longest since Washington's Stephen Strasburg also won 16 straight from 9/15/15-7/15/16...marked the longest winning streak in Astros history, surpassing the previous record of 12 consecutive wins, held by Wade Miller (2002) and Mark Portugal (1993)...was tied for the third-longest streak of winning decisions in a single season in Major League history, behind the New York Giants' Rube Marquard's 19 consecutive wins in 1912 and Pittsburgh's Roy Face's 17 straight in 1959...was the longest in a season since the Yankees' Roger Clemens also won 16 consecutive decisions (over 20 starts) in 2001...is tied with Clemens (final 22 starts in 1998 with Toronto) for the Majors' longest single-season streak of unbeaten starts since Baltimore's Dave McNally was unbeaten in his first 26 starts of 1969...Finished runner-up in AL Cy Young Award voting to teammate Justin Verlander (171-159)...Verlander received 17 first-place and 13 second-place votes, while Cole received 13 first-place and 17 second-place votes...marked the fifth time in Cy Young Award history that teammates occupied the first two places, also Arizona's Randy Johnson (winner) and Curt Schilling (runner-up) in both 2001 and 2002, the Los Angeles Dodgers' Mike Marshall (winner) and Andy Messersmith (runner-up) in 1974, and the Brooklyn Dodgers' Don Newcombe (winner) and Sal Maglie (runner-up; acquired midseason from Cleveland) in 1956...Took home three of the AL's six "Pitcher of the Month" Awards in 2019, in June, July and September...was the third AL pitcher in five years to take home three "Pitcher of the Month" awards in one season, following Cleveland's Corey Kluber in 2017 and Houston's Dallas Keuchel in 2015...Held left-handed hitters to .175/.235/.352 (67-for-383) with 17HR, 30BB and 182K...his 43.6% strikeout rate vs. lefties is the highest by any pitcher since data was first tracked in 1974 (min. 300BF), eclipsing his own mark of 41.1% in 2018...According to Statcast, threw 1,048 fastballs of at least 97.0 mph, second-most in the Majors to the Mets' Noah Syndergaard (1,392)...registered a 97.2 mph average velocity on the pitch (FanGraphs), second to Syndergaard (97.7) among qualified Major League pitchers...Allowed one-or-zero runs in 17-of-33 starts, tied with St. Louis's Jack Flaherty for the most in the Majors (excluding "openers")...Surrendered a career-high 9R and 8ER over 4.1IP in 4/20 loss at Texas...had gone his first 36 starts as an Astro without allowing more than 4R, tying Philadelphia's Tommy Greene (1990-92) for the longest streak by a pitcher to start his tenure with a club in Major League history (excluding 'openers')...In 4/30 win at Minnesota, allowed 1H with 11K over 7.0 scoreless innings (3BB, 1WP)...was the ninth game in Astros history with at least 7.0 scoreless innings, 11K and 1H-or-fewer...With 65K in his first seven starts (3/29-4/30), tied Philadelphia's Curt Schilling (1998) for the most strikeouts prior to May in Major League history...Was named the AL "Pitcher of the Month" for June after going 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA (38.0IP, 8ER) in six starts...was his second career "Pitcher of the Month" award (also April 2015 with Pittsburgh)...was named the AL "Pitcher of the Month" for July after going 4-0 with a 1.85 ERA (34.0IP, 7ER) in five starts, his second consecutive "Pitcher of the Month" award...In 7/22 win vs. Oakland, recorded 11K to reach 200K on the season (in 133.1IP), the second-fewest innings needed to reach 200 strikeouts in a season in Major League history, trailing only Arizona's Randy Johnson (130.2IP in 2001)...Was scratched from his scheduled start on 8/13 at Chicago-AL with right hamstring discomfort...missed two turns in the rotation but did not go on the I.L...Was named AL "Pitcher of the Month" for September after going 5-0 with a 1.07 ERA (42.0IP, 20H, 6R/5ER, 7BB, 74K, 4HR) in six starts...his 74K were tied for the 10th-highest total in a calendar month in the Modern Era (since 1900), and the second-most since 1978 (Chicago-AL's Chris Sale75K in June 2015)...were the most strikeouts in a month without a loss in Baseball history (previously Boston's Pedro Martinez-70K in September 1999)...In a 21-1 win on 9/8 vs. Seattle, celebrated his 29th birthday by recording a season-high 15 strikeouts over 8.0IP (1H, 1ER, 1HR, 0BB)...was the second-highest total of his career (16K on 5/4/18 at Arizona w/ Houston)...his only base runner allowed was a one-out solo HR in the fourth by Shed Long...set a Major League record for strikeouts on a pitcher's birthday, surpassing the 14K by Arizona's Randy Johnson on 9/10/00 at Florida...was one of three double-digit-strikeout performances by a pitcher on his birthday during the 2010s, also Washington's Max Scherzer (11K on 7/27/18 at Miami) and the Angels' Dan Haren (10K on 9/17/10 at Tampa Bay)...joined St. Louis' Chris Carpenter (12K, 0BB on 4/27/05 vs. Milwaukee) as the only two pitchers ever to record at least 10K with 0BB on his birthday...was the first Astros starter to earn a win on his birthday since Roy Oswalt on 8/29/07 vs. St. Louis...was the first pitcher ever to receive at least 20R of support on his birthday...On 8/28 vs. Tampa Bay (6.2IP, 4ER, 14K), 9/2 at Milwaukee (6.0IP, 1ER, 14K) and 9/8 vs. Seattle (8.0IP, 1ER, 15K), became the second pitcher in Major League history to record at least 14K in three consecutive starts, joining Boston's Pedro Martinez from 9/4-15/99 (15K, 17K, 14K)...according to Elias, became the first pitcher since 1893 to record at least 14K in fewer than 7.0IP in consecutive games...the 9/2 start came one day after Justin Verlander's 14-strikeout no-hitter, making the duo the first pair of teammates in Major League history to register at least 14K in consecutive games...From 8/22-9/8 became the first pitcher in Astros history and fourth in Major League history to record at least 12K in four consecutive starts (Pedro Martinez-3x, Randy Johnson, Chris Sale)...Was named AL "Player of the Week" for 9/23-29 after earning wins on 9/24 at Seattle (7.0IP, 2H, 0R, 0BB, 14K) and 9/29 at Los Angeles-AL (5.0IP, 4H, 1ER, 2BB, 10K, 1HR)...was his first career weekly award...In 9/24 win at Seattle, surpassed J.R. Richard's 1979 Houston franchise record of 313 strikeouts...In 9/29 win at Los Angeles-AL (5.0IP, 4H, 1ER, 2BB, 10K, 1HR), set a Major League record with his ninth consecutive start with at least 10K...marked his career-high 20th win...Went 4-1 with a 1.72 ERA (36.2IP, 21H, 7ER, 11BB, 47K, 4HR) in five postseason starts to lead Houston to the American League pennant...tied the AL record for strikeouts in a postseason (also Texas's Cliff Lee in 2010)...is tied for the second-highest strikeout total by any pitcher in a postseason behind Arizona's Curt Schilling's 56K in 2001...opponents hit .165 (21-for-127)...Set a Major League Division Series record with 25K in two starts vs. Tampa Bay (2-0, 0.57 ERA, 15.2IP, 6H, 1ER, 3BB, 1HR)...broke the previous mark of 22K shared by Washington's Stephen Strasburg in 2017 and Detroit's Justin Verlander in 2012...was the eighth postseason series in Major League history with at least 25K, following St. Louis's Bob Gibson (35K in 1968 World Series, 31K in 1964 World Series, 26K in 1967 World Series), Los AngelesNL's Sandy Koufax (29K in 1965 World Series), Boston's Bill Dineen (28K in 1903 World Series), Arizona's Curt Schilling (26K in 2001 World Series) and Baltimore's Mike Mussina (25K in 1997 ALCS)...joined Washington's Stephen Strasburg (2017 NLDS), Detroit's Justin Verlander (2012-13 ALDS), Texas's Cliff Lee (2010 ALDS), Mussina (1997 ALCS), Gibson (1967-68 World Series) and Koufax (1965 World Series) as the seventh pitcher (ninth occurrence) to record two double-digit-strikeout efforts in one postseason series...In ALDS Game 2 win vs. Tampa Bay, recorded 15K over 7.2 scoreless innings (4H, 1BB)...set an Astros postseason strikeout record, tied for the third-highest strikeout total in Major League postseason history, behind St. Louis's Bob Gibson (17K in 1968 World Series Game 1 vs. Detroit) and San Diego's Kevin Brown (16K in 1998 NLDS Game 1 at Houston)...was the seventh pitcher with 15K in a postseason game, his 15K also tied with the Yankees' Roger Clemens (2000 ALCS Game 4 at Seattle), Florida's Livan Hernández (1997 ALCS Game 5 vs. Atlanta), Baltimore's Mike Mussina (1997 ALCS Game 3 at Cleveland) and Los Angeles-NL's Sandy Koufax (1963 World Series Game 1 at the Yankees)...joined Gibson (17K, 1BB) as the only pitchers with 15K and 1BBor-fewer in a postseason game...In ALDS Game 5 win vs. Tampa Bay, earned the series-clinching victory with a postseason career-high 8.0IP (2H, 1ER, 2BB, 10K, 1HR)...allowed his only run on a solo HR by Eric Sogard in the second inning...became the third pitcher to complete 8.0IP and allow 2H-or-fewer in a winner-take-all postseason game, joining Kansas City's Johnny Cueto (8.0IP, 2H, 2ER, 0BB, 8K, 1HR) in 2015 ALDS Game 5 vs. Houston and Detroit's Justin Verlander (8.0IP, 2H, 0R, 1BB, 10K) in 2013 ALDS Game 5 at Oakland...In ALCS Game 3 win at the Yankees, tossed 7.0 scoreless innings (4H, 5BB, 7K) to earn his 19th consecutive win (reg. season and postseason), a Major League record...his 5BB tied his regular season career high...snapped his streak of 11 consecutive starts (reg. season and postseason) with double-digit strikeouts...became the third Astros pitcher to win each of his first three starts of a postseason, joining Justin Verlander (first 4GS in 2017) and Roy Oswalt (2005), and the first to do so while allowing 1R-or-fewer in all three...Had his record streak of 19 consecutive winning decisions snapped with a loss in World Series Game 1 vs. Washington (7.0IP, 8H, 5ER, 1BB, 6K, 2HR)...marked his first career World Series start...Earned his first World Series win in Game 5 at Washington (7.0IP, 3H, 1ER, 2BB, 9K, 1HR)...marked his AL-record fourth start of the 2019 postseason with at least 7.0IP and 1R-or-fewer.
2018
Was named to his second career All-Star Team and was one of the most dominant pitchers in the game in what was his first season with the Astros...led the Majors in strikeouts per 9.0 innings (12.60)...in the AL, ranked second in strikeout rate (34.5%), ranking second in strikeouts (272), second in opponent batting average (.198), second in WAR (6.3, Fangraphs), third in opponent OPS (.600), tied for third in winning percentage (.750), fourth in WHIP (1.03), fourth in ERA (2.88), tied for fourth in quality starts (20) and fifth in innings pitched (200.1)...reached the 200.0-inning mark for the third time in his career...struck out a career-high 276 batters, the fifth-most in a single season in franchise history behind J.R. Richard (313 in 1979, 303 in 1978), Mike Scott (306 in 1986) and Justin Verlander (290 in 2018)...set a single-season franchise record for strikeouts per 9.0 innings ratio (12.40), topping Nolan Ryan's record set in 1987 (11.48)...was the third-best mark in American League history, behind Pedro Martinez (13.20 in 1999) and Chris Sale (12.93 in 2017)...his .198 opponent batting average was the sixth-best mark in franchise history for a single year...the only pitchers with a better mark: Mike Scott (.186 in 1986), Nolan Ryan (.188 in 1981, .188 in 1986, .195 in 1983) and J.R. Richard (.196 in 1978)...dominated left-handed hitters all season, holding them to a .162 batting average (56x346) and a .519 OPS with 160 strikeouts...struck out more lefties than any pitcher in baseball...his 41.1% strikeout rate against left-handed hitters was the top mark by a starting pitcher, and the fourth-best mark by a starting pitcher since 1974, behind two seasons from Clayton Kershaw (41.5% in 2013; 46.8% in 2009) and one season from Oliver Perez (41.5% in 2004)...posted eight double-digit strikeout games (tied for the sixth-most in the Majors), striking out at least 11 batters in all eight of those games...had six double-digit strikeout games in his entire 127-start career with the Pirates (just 2 games with at least 11 strikeouts)...combined with Justin Verlander (290 SO) to post 566 strikeouts, the most by a duo in a single season in Astros history (previously 503 strikeouts by Nolan Ryan and Mike Scott in 1987)...also became the second duo of pitchers to top 270 strikeouts apiece in the same season, joining Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, who did so in 2001 and 2002...set a franchise record for strikeouts by a pitcher over his first three games with the Astros (36), besting the previous record of 33 strikeouts set by Randy Johnson in 1998...per STATS Inc., the 36 strikeouts were the second-most by a pitcher in his first three games of a season in the live-ball era behind the 37 posted by Nolan Ryan for the Angels in 1973...also set a club record for strikeouts through four starts with the Astros (41)...set a Major League record for strikeouts within his first seven starts with a team (77)...set a franchise record for strikeouts prior to the AllStar Break (177)...topped Mike Scott's previous record of 167 set in 1986...started the Astros fourth game of the season on April 1 at TEX, striking out seven batters over 7.0 innings of one-run ball...gave up just two hits and three walks...per Elias, became the fourth player in Astros history to record 11-or-more strikeouts in his Astos debut...joined J.R. Richard (15 on Sept. 5, 1971 at SF-g2), Randy Johnson (12 on Aug. 2, 1998 at PIT) and Collin McHugh (12 on April 22, 2014 at SEA)...in his second start of the season on April 7 vs. SD, fanned 11 batters in 7.0 scoreless innings, giving up five hits with no walks...became the first pitcher in club history to have 11+ strikeouts in each of his first two starts with the club...set a club record for strikeouts through two starts with the Astros (22)...topped the previous record of 20, reached by Turk Farrell (1962), Tom Griffin (1969), J.R. Richard (1971) and Randy Johnson (1998)...became the first Astros pitcher to post 11+ strikeouts in back-to-back games since Wade Miller did so in his first two starts of the 2001 season...struck out a career-high 14 batters in his third start of the season on April 13 vs. TEX...gave up two runs on three hits...became the first pitcher in the Majors to strike out 14+ batters on 93 pitches or less since pitch count data started being tracked...joined Nolan Ryan (1973) as the only pitchers in MLB history (since 1908) to start a season by recording 11+ strikeouts in three consecutive games...became the fourth pitcher in club history to string together three consecutive starts with 11+ strikeouts at any point in a season, joining J.R. Richard (3 separate three-game streaks), Randy Johnson (1998) and Mike Scott (1986)...his 14 strikeouts on April 13 vs. TEX marked the most strikeouts by an Astro in a single game since Bud Norris also struck out 14 on Aug. 14, 2010 vs. PIT...tied the Minute Maid Park record for strikeouts by an Astro...per the Elias, his 41 strikeouts were a club record through a pitcher's first four starts with the Astros...tied the fourth-most strikeouts by a pitcher over his first four starts with a team in Major League history...tied Stephen Strasburg (2010), trailing Pedro Martinez (44 in 1998 for BOS), Randy Johnson (44 in 1999 for ARI) and Chris Sale (42 in 2017 for BOS)...became the first pitcher to start his career with the Astros by throwing at least 7.0 innings and allowing two runs-or-fewer in each of his first five starts for the club...set an AL record for strikeouts prior to May of a single season (61), topping the record set by Roger Clemens in 1988 (60)...became the first MLB pitcher with 61 strikeouts in a single April since Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling in 2002...struck out 61 batters in April, a new club record for a single April...became the fourth Astros pitcher with 61 strikeouts in a single calendar month, joining Randy Johnson (61 in Aug. 1998), J.R. Richard (69 in Sept. 1979, 62 in Aug. 1979) and Mike Scott (64 in May 1986)...his 61 strikeouts tied the third-most by a pitcher within his first six starts with a team in Major League history (Elias)...tied Randy Johnson (1998 for HOU) and trailed Johnson (63 in 1999 for ARI) and Chris Sale (63 in 2017 for BOS)...produced one of the greatest starts in club history on May 4 at ARI, striking out 16 batters in a one-hit complete game shutout...was his first career shutout, and second career complete game (also July 27, 2016 vs. SEA)...16 strikeouts marked a career-high, and tied the second-most by a pitcher in a single game in Astros history with Randy Johnson (Aug. 28, 1998 vs. PIT), Nolan Ryan (Sept. 9, 1987 vs. SF) and Don Wilson (Sept. 10, 1968 at CIN)...was two strikeouts shy of the club record of 18 set by Wilson on July 14, 1968 at CIN.. his 16-strikeout game was just the 10th time in MLB history that a pitcher recorded 16+ strikeouts while allowing one hit or fewer in a shutout, most recently by Max Scherzer (twice in 2015)...the only others to do it: Brandon Morrow (2010), Curt Schilling (2002), Kerry Wood (20-strikeout game nearly 20 years prior on May 6, 1998) and Nolan Ryan (4 times: 1991, 1990, 1973, 1972)...became the first Astros pitcher to record at least 12 strikeouts in consecutive games (April 29-May 4) since J.R. Richard did so from Sept. 21-25, 1979...posted 93 strikeouts through his first nine starts, the third-most by a pitcher in his first nine starts with a team behind Randy Johnson (96 in 1998) and Chris Sale (95 in 2017)...became the first pitcher in club history to start his career with the Astros with eight straight quality starts..posted 101 strikeouts through his first 10 starts, the tying the second-most by a pitcher in his first 10 starts with Chris Sale (2017) behind Randy Johnson (108 in 1998)...joined Justin Verlander (2017-18) and Donne Wall (1995-96) as the only pitchers in club history to start their careers with the team with a six-game road win streak..posted a sevengame winning streak (second-longest of his career) from May 4-June 24...surpassed his single-season careerhigh for strikeouts (202) on Aug. 10 vs. SEA in what was his 24th start of the season...made two starts in the postseason, going 1-1 with a 3.46 ERA (5ER/13IP), 17 strikeouts and two walks...dominated the Indians in Game 2 of the ALDS vs. CLE, a 3-1 win...struck out 12 batters with no walks, allowing one run on three hits in 7.0 innings pitched...the lone run he allowed came on a Francisco Lindor solo homer in the 3rd inning...became the second pitcher in MLB history to strike out 12+ batters with no walks in a postseason game, joining the Mets Tom Seaver, who struck out 13 Reds hitters without a walk in his complete-game loss in Game 1 of the 1973 NLCS...took the loss in Game 2 of the ALCS at BOS...gave up five runs (4 earned) on six hits over 6.0 innings pitched.
2017
Set a career high in starts and shared the NL lead in that department...ranked third among National League pitchers in innings pitched; was one of seven pitchers with 200 or more innings pitched...also ranked 10th in strikeouts and seventh in fewest walks/per 9IP (2.44)...his strikeout total was the second-highest of his career and the fourth-highest total by a right-handed pitcher in team history...tied for second in the league in home runs allowed (31), one shy of the club record (32 by Murry Dickson in 1951)...went 9-7 with a 4.21 ERA in 18 starts on the road and 3-5 with a 4.31 ERA in 15 starts at home...was Pittsburgh's Opening Day starter for the first time in his career and suffered a 5-3 loss at Boston on April 2 (5ER/5IP)...was charged with two earned runs or less in seven straight starts from April 14-May 17 (1.96 REA, 10ER/46IP)...pitched 7.0 innings in three straight games from May 6-17...had 10 strikeouts (fifth career game with 10 or more) on July 19 vs. MIL...went 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA (8ER/32IP) in five starts during the month of July...pitched 8.0 innings (102 pitches) while winning his seventh straight road start on Aug. 10 at DET; the last Pittsburgh pitcher to win seven straight starts on the road was Don Robinson, who did so in 1982...connected off Luis Castillo for his third career home run in a 1-0 victory on Aug. 26 at CIN; marked the first time in team history that a Pittsburgh pitcher accounted for all the team's runs with a home run in a shutout victory...won eight straight road decisions between June 2 and Aug. 26 (nine starts) - the first Pittsburgh starting pitcher to do so since Steve Blass in 1972...had a career-high 12 sacrifice bunts, which was tied for second among NL leaders.
2016
Made only 21 starts during an injury-plagued season...Made his first regular season start in fifth team game on 4/9 in Cincinnati and suffered a 5-1 loss (4.2ip/3er)...Pitched 6.0 scoreless innings while winning his first decision in third start on 4/21 at San Diego...Was victorious in first career start at Coors Field in Colorado on 4/26 (6.0ip/2er) ...Pitched 8.0 scoreless innings in a 2-1 victory over Jon Lester at Chicago on 5/15...Gave up one run in 7.0ip while winning a 2-1 decision vs. Colorado on 5/20; was also his first Major League game without a strikeout...Doubled and hit his second career home run in his start on 5/26 vs. Arizona - the first Pittsburgh pitcher with a double and homer in the same game since Danny Darwin on 5/29/96...Went 3-0 with a 1.04 ERA (26.0ip/3er) in a four-start stretch from 5/8-26...Opposed Jose Fernandez at Marlins Park on 5/31 and lost a 3-1 decision (6.1ip/3er)...Posted a 2.68 ERA (37.0ip/11er) in six starts during the month of May...Left his start on 6/10 vs. St. Louis in the third inning due to right arm discomfort...Was placed on the 15-day disabled list on 6/14 (retro to 6/11) with a strained right triceps muscle ...Threw off a mound for the first time on 6/26 (15 fastballs)...Threw 45 pitches in a simulated game on 7/1 at Oakland...Made a rehab start with Triple-A Indianapolis on 7/5 (3.0ip/2h/0r/0bb/6so - 45 pitches)...Made second rehab start on 7/10 at Columbus (5.0ip/2h/0r/0bb/6so - 70 pitches)...Was recalled from rehab and reinstated from the D.L. on 7/16...Suffered loss on 7/16 at Washington (4.0ip/5r/4er)...Threw 93 pitches while tossing his first career complete game in a 10-1 win vs. Seattle on 7/27; the first Pittsburgh pitcher to throw a complete game with fewer than 100 pitches since Francisco Liriano on 8/14/13 at St. Louis (94 pitches)...Won his final game on 8/2 at Atlanta...Gave up a career-high 12 hits in an 8-4 loss at Los Angeles (NL) on 8/13...Also gave up 12 hits in his next start; a no-decision vs. Miami on 8/19...Did not surrender a home run in 60.0 consecutive innings from the seventh inning on 5/20 thru the fifth inning on 8/19...Yielded 18 runs (17 earned) in 21.1ip over a four-start stretch from 8/7-24...Was placed on the 15-day D.L. on 8/29 (retro to 8/25) with posterior inflammation of his right elbow...Was reinstated from the D.L. on 9/12 and started that night at Philadelphia; allowed four walks and five runs in 2.0ip while suffering the loss...Lost each of his last four decisions...Was placed on the 60-day D.L. on 9/13 and missed the remainder of the season...Was reinstated from D.L. on 11/4.
2015
Was named to his first National League All Star team; pitched a scoreless third inning which included a strikeout of Mike Trout... Finished fourth in the BBWAA voting for the N.L. Cy Young Award...Did not commit an error in 47 total chances and was one of three finalists for the Rawlings Gold Glove Award for his position (Zack Greinke won)...Tied for second in the league in wins, ranked fifth in ERA, seventh in innings pitched and 10th in strikeouts...Joined A.J. Burnett (209 in 2013) as the only two righthanded pitchers in club history to strike out 200 or more batters in a season... His 19 wins were the most by a Pittsburgh pitcher since LHP John Smiley won 20 in 1991 and the most by a RHP since Doug Drabek won 22 in 1990... Set career highs in starts, wins, innings pitched and strikeouts in his first full season with the Pirates...Was named National League Pitcher-of-the-Month for the month of April after going 4-0 with a 1.76 ERA and 35 strikeouts in five starts...Became first Pittsburgh pitcher since Randy Tomlin (June 1992) to win the award...Was used as a pinch hitter for the second time in his career on 4/21 vs. Chicago (NL)...Was charged with three runs or fewer in each of his first 14 starts...Pitched a career-high 8.1 innings and struck out 10 batters in a 4-1 win vs. New York (NL) on 5/22...Became the first Pittsburgh pitcher since Emil Yde in 1924-25 to win 30 games in 53 Major League starts or fewer (Yde went 30-12 in his first 50 career starts)...Became MLB's first 10-game winner on 6/13 in team game #61; the last Pirates pitcher to earn his 10th win of the season on 6/13 or earlier was Bob Friend in 1956 (6/8) and the last Pittsburgh pitcher to earn his 10th win of the season in the team's 61st game (or earlier) was Vernon Law in 1960 (56th game)...Became just the second Pittsburgh pitcher to win 13 games prior to the All-Star break; also Dock Ellis (14-3 in 1971)...Became the first National League pitcher to win 13 or more games by the All-Star break since 2010, when Ubaldo Jimenez went 15-1 for Colorado and Adam Wainwright went 13-5 for St. Louis...Became just the third Pittsburgh pitcher to lead the Major Leagues in wins (13) at the AllStar break (since the first All-Star Game was played in 1933); also Roy Face in 1959 (12-0 and tied for the lead) and Rip Sewell in 1943 (12-2)...Had a 14-4 record and a 2.24 ERA after 20 starts, one of only three pitchers in Pirates history to have as many wins and as low an ERA over his first 20 starts of a season; the others were RHP Al Mamaux in 1915 (14-4, 1.78 ERA) and RHP Rip Sewell in 1943 (16-2, 2.22 ERA)...Pitched 7.0 scoreless innings while winning 16th game on 9/6 at St. Louis...Did not pitch again until 9/15...Went 3-0 with a 2.57 ERA (21.0ip/6er) in his last three starts and 4-0 in his last five outings... Went 4-1 in six September starts and has now gone 12-2 with a 2.95 ERA in 17 starts during the final month of season...Was the recipient of the Steve Blass Award, which is recognized by the local chapter of the BBWAA as the team's Most Outstanding Pitcher.
2015 POSTSEASON: Started the Wild Card Game against the Cubs on 10/7 and suffered a 4-0 loss to Jake Arrieta.
2014
Established career highs in every category while spending majority of season with Pittsburgh...Ranked second on staff in wins behind Edinson Volquez (13)...Was the winning pitcher in his season debut on 4/4 vs. St. Louis (7.0ip/2er)...Struck out 10 batters while also winning his second start on 4/10 at Chicago (NL)...Was in line for third win on 4/20 vs. Milwaukee before the Brewers tied the game in the ninth inning...Also had his second career two-hit game at the plate on 4/20...Gave up a total of two runs in back-to-back starts on 4/20 (8.0ip/1er) and 4/25 (7.0ip/1er), but went 0-1...Singled as a pinch hitter on 5/5 vs. San Francisco...Tied career high with 8.0 innings pitched while winning a 4-3 decision over Tim Lincecum and the Giants at PNC Park on 5/7...Pitched in front of about 30 friends and family members at Dodger Stadium on 5/29 and won his fifth game of the season (6.1ip/3er)...Gave up one run and struck out six batters in 5.2ip while winning his sixth game on 6/3 at San Diego...Was placed on the 15-day D.L. on 6/8 (retro to 6/4) with right arm fatigue...Threw a simulated game at PNC Park on 6/18 (65 pitches)...Threw a second sim game on 6/23 at Tampa (84 pitches)...Was reinstated from disabled list on 6/28 and suffered a 5-3 loss to the Mets that afternoon at PNC Park (4.0ip/5er)...Won his next start on 7/4 vs. Philadelphia (5.0ip/1h/0r), but left the game with right lat soreness... Was placed on the 15-day disabled list on 7/8 (retro to 7/5) with right lat soreness...Threw 72 pitches in a simulated game at PNC Park on 7/23...Made rehab start (81 pitches) with Triple-A Indianapolis on 7/28 and tossed 5.0 scoreless frames in a 5-0 win at Rochester (5h/3bb/7k)...Made second rehab start on 8/5 vs. Toledo and gave up 10 hits and five runs in 4.1ip...Pitched 6.0 scoreless frames and gave up just one hit while making third rehab start on 8/10 vs. Rochester...Made his fourth rehab start on 8/15 and tossed 7.0 scoreless frames (92 pitches); also went 1-for-4 with a double at the plate... Was recalled from rehab and reinstated from D.L. on 8/20; made start that night and received a no-decision vs. Atlanta (7.0ip/2er)...Struck out nine batters and left his next start on 8/26 vs. St. Louis with a 2-0 lead only to be a victim of a blown save...Was optioned to Class-A Bristol on 8/29...Was recalled on 9/1 and made the start that afternoon in St. Louis; took a 4-2 lead into the seventh inning before giving up a pinch-hit homer to Kolten Wong and eventually lost a 5-4 decision...Connected off Blake Parker for his first Major League home run while winning a 10-4 decision at Wrigley Field on 9/7...Won each of his last four decisions and went 4-1 in six starts during the month of September...Tied his career high with 12 strikeouts in his final start on 9/28 at Cincinnati...Went 8-for-44 (.182) at the plate with a home run and two RBI; singled as a pinch hitter on 5/5 vs. San Francisco...Went 5-1 with a 3.39 ERA (69.0ip/26er) in 11 starts at PNC Park.
2013
2013 SEASON: Entered season ranked by Baseball America as the Pirates top prospect and as having the "Best Fastball" and "Best Slider" in the system...Also ranked by MLB.com as No. 9 in their list of the Top 100 prospects in baseball...Began season with Triple-A Indianapolis...Did not allow a run in his final two Triple-A starts and 19.0 innings overall...Was selected by Pittsburgh on 6/11 and made his Major League debut that night against Tim Lincecum and the Giants at PNC Park...Gave up two runs in 6.1ip and was victorious in his debut; also had a two-run single in his first at bat, which was his first hit since high school...Became one of four starting pitchers since 1920 to earn a win and have at least two RBI in his Major League debut; also George Caster with the Athletics in 1934, Jim Turner with the Braves in 1937 and Jason Jennings with the Rockies in 2001...Also became just the third Pirates pitcher since 1900 to pitch at least six innings without allowing a walk in his big league debut, joining George Merritt, who did it on September 6, 1901 and Len Gilmore on October 1, 1944...Won his first four starts; the first Pittsburgh pitcher since Nick Maddox in 1907 to do so...Suffered first big league loss in fifth start on 7/4 vs. Philadelphia (5.1ip/3er)...Lost three straight decisions before winning again on 7/23 at Washington; gave up two hits and one run in 5-1 victory that night while also going 2-for-3 with an RBI at the plate to become the first Pirates rookie starter to have two or more hits while holding his opponent to two or fewer hits since Hank Gornicki had two hits in a two-hit shutout against the Boston Braves on August 27, 1942...Gave up three runs or fewer in each of his first eight career starts; the last Pirates pitcher to allow three runs or fewer in each of his first eight career starts was Whammy Douglas, who allowed no more than three runs in all eight of his starts in 1957...Received his first no-decision (5.0ip/4er) in his 11th start on 8/8 vs. Miami...Set a franchise record by pitching at least 5.0 innings and allowing no more than three earned runs in 10 consecutive starts to begin a career; the MLB record is 16 set by Gary Peters in 1963 with Boston and matched by Steve Rogers in 1973 with Montreal...Went 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA in five starts during the month of September and was named National League Rookie-of-the-Month...Went 6-4 with a 2.85 ERA in 12 starts after the All-Star break...Struck out career-high 12 batters on 9/19 vs. San Diego; the most by a Pittsburgh rookie since Jose DeLeon whiffed 13 on 8/20/83 vs. Cincinnati...Went 7-for-34 (.206) with five RBI at the plate (led Bucco pitchers in RBI)...Ranked sixth among N.L. rookies in ERA, sixth in wins, seventh in innings pitched and eighth in strikeouts...Was named to the Baseball America National League Rookie Team.
2013 POSTSEASON: Started Game Two of the N.L.D.S. vs. St. Louis on 10/4 and won a 7-1 decision (6.0ip/2h/1r) over Lance Lynn; also knocked in the game's first run with an RBI-single in the second inning...According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only two other rookies have been credited with a victory and a game-winning RBI in a postseason game: Spec Shea did it for the Yankees against the Dodgers in Game Five of the 1947 World Series and Paul (Daffy) Dean, brother of Dizzy, did it for the Cardinals against the Tigers in Game Six of the 1934 Series...Was the starter and loser against Adam Wainwright in Game Five at St. Louis on 10/9 (5.0ip/3h/2r).
2012
Began season ranked by Baseball America as Pittsburgh's No. 1 prospect and the 12th in all of minor league baseball...Also tabbed by the same publication as having the "Best Fastball" and "Best Slider" among Pirates farmhands...Went 9-7 with a 2.80 ERA in 26 combined starts at three different levels of the organization...Ranked second in strikeouts (136) and fourth in ERA in the Pirates minor league system...Attended spring training as a non-roster invitee and began professional career with Single-A Bradenton..Allowed one run on four hits in 4.0ip while striking out seven batters in a no-decision while making professional debut on 4/9 at Palm Beach...Allowed one hit over 6.0 scoreless innings and won his first game on 4/30 at Jupiter...Won each of his final five decisions with the Marauders, going 5-0 with a 1.80 ERA (50.0ip/10er) over nine starts from 4/30 to 6/14...Was named to the Florida State League mid-season All-Star team but did not participate in the contest after being promoted to Altoona on 6/20...Ranked third in the Florida State League in strikeouts per 9.0 innings pitched (9.27), fourth in batting average against (.217), fifth in ERA and sixth in strikeouts at the time of his promotion...Won his Double-A debut on 6/20 vs. New Britain after allowing two runs in 5.0 innings...Was hit in the face by a line drive in his 6/26 start at Harrisburg; stayed in the game and finished the inning but left due to his pitch count in the first inning...Pitched in the All-Star Futures Game in Kansas City on 7/8; allowed a two-run homer while also striking out a pair of batters in 1.0 inning of work...Was promoted to Indianapolis on 9/1 and won his Triple-A debut vs. Toledo after allowing three runs in 6.0 innings and striking out seven batters...Started and lost Game Two of Indianapolis' first round playoff matchup against Charlotte (2.0ip/9h/8r/8er).
2011
Finished three-year career at UCLA on 6/3 and was selected by the Pirates as the first overall pick in the First-Year Player Draft on 6/6...Allowed one run or less in seven of his 16 starts with UCLA and registered at least 10 strikeouts five times...Had a perfect game broken up with a two-out single in bottom of the 7th inning at Nebraska on 3/5 while pitching in 25-degree weather; ended up with a no-decision (9.0ip/2h/0r) in 1-0 UCLA win in 11 innings...Also had a perfect game broken up with a one-out double in the top of the 7th against Georgia on 3/11...Officially signed with Pittsburgh on 8/15...Made professional debut during the Arizona Fall League, where he went 2-0 with 3.00 ERA in five starts with Mesa (15.0ip/10h/6r/5er/4bb/16so)...Gave up three runs in 2.1ip while also reaching 100 mph on the radar gun in his debut on 10/14...Pitched 3.0 scoreless innings and whiffed three batters while winning his first game on 10/20 (fastball recorded at 100 mph six times and 101 once)...Was charged with just three earned runs in his last four starts (12.2ip - 2.13 ERA).
