ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Gerrit Cole stood on the mound for an extra few seconds, staring in at Brett Phillips. The Yankees ace had just struck out the side in the eighth, finishing the Rays' bottom of the order on just 12 pitches. The last was 99 miles per hour and rang up his 12th strikeout of the night.
Cole finished his night with a little stare and a smile. He deserved it. Cole was dominant, throwing eight scoreless innings as the Yankees beat the Rays 1-0 at Tropicana Field.
Cole scattered four hits, struck out a dozen and did not walk a batter. The right-hander has not issued a walk in his last five starts, spanning 39 innings.
It was his fifth — out of eight — starts this season with at least 10 strikeouts and his 37th since 2018. It was his 12th straight regular-season start in which he has allowed two earned runs or fewer, tying Whitey Ford’s streak in 1963.
And for this season and for the Yankees, most importantly, it was Cole’s first career regular-season win over the Rays.
It was the first series the Yankees (20-16) had taken from the Rays (19-19) since July 15-18, 2018, and the first at Tropicana Field since May 2019. After losing their first four series of the season, the Yankees have now won last seven. The Yankees have won 15 of their last 21 games.
In eight previous regular-season starts against the Rays, Cole had never beat them. He was 0-4 with a 3.11 ERA against them in those starts.
“I think that they play really hard, especially against us, especially against every single time they played against me in the last three years, whether it be in the Division Series o in the division in terms of with the Yankees,” Cole said “Sometimes things haven’t gone our way, sometimes we played poorly, it’s been a mix of several different variables that I think have kind of contributed to a little bit of the funk.
“What we can’t control is how well they compete. They deserve credit for that, for not taking any pitches off for fighting us in the box, every time out,” Cole continued. “I think regardless of the skills or the talent or however that stuff grades out, that approach is always going to give you at least some fits.”
This season, Cole took a no-decision against the Rays in a 4-2 loss in the Bronx on April 18. He allowed two earned runs on five hits in 6 1/3 innings pitched.
But Wednesday night, Cole was brilliant.
Cole had 24 swings and misses, 16 on his four-seam fastball.
Austin Meadows had a Tropicana Field-only double in the first, a high fly ball that ricocheted off the “B-ring,” catwalk and dropped into shallow right field. Meadows advanced to third, but Cole stranded him there, just like he did with Randy Arozarena in the sixth. The star of the Rays’ 2020 playoff run doubled off the center field wall with one out and advanced to third on Meadows’ groundout. Cole got Manuel Margot on a 99-mph fastball to end the threat. The only other traffic Cole worked around was when Yandy Diaz lined a single into right field in the third.
Aaron Judge led off the seventh with a single and Gio Urshela followed with a double to chase Ryan Yarborough. Aaron Hicks drove in Judge on a sacrifice fly, but Brett Gardner grounded out to strand Urshela.
Gardner was in the game because Clint Frazier earned his first career ejection arguing a called third strike with home plate umpire Bill Miller.
The veteran umpire’s strike zone was irritating both dugouts Wednesday night, and earlier in the night, Giancarlo Stanton, who has never been ejected, had a long talk with Miller after a called third strike in the fourth. Frazier turned back to face Miller emphasizing whatever he said with his hands when Miller tossed him. Aaron Boone, who is without three of his coaches because of the COVID-19 outbreak, came out to argue but kept it short, considering the Yankees are already short in the dugout.
