Gerrit Cole Dethrones Ron Guidry for All-Time Yankees Milestone

The New York ace made franchise history during another strong outing on Sunday.

Yankees All-Star starting pitcher Gerrit Cole turned in another outstanding outing on Sunday, throwing 102 pitches across six innings in a no-decision against the Rockies. Cole struck out 11 batters in the game, marking the 24th 10-plus strikeout performance of his tenure in New York.

That tally lifts him above legendary southpaw Ron Guidry for the most such games in franchise history. Guidry’s record stood since 1988 when the four-time All-Star retired from MLB.

The 11 strikeouts on Sunday tied a season-high for the Yankees ace. It’s his third outing of the season with 10 or more strikeouts and his first since April 16. 

Gerrit Cole has set a new franchise record for most games with 10+ K's 🔥#YANKSonYES pic.twitter.com/z5f6kozxVD

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) July 16, 2023

Cole required just 95 starts in a Yankees uniform to achieve the feat, whereas it took Guidry 323. Behind Cole and Guidry on the franchise’s all-time list is David Cone, who had 21 10-plus strikeout games during his time in the Bronx.

Across his entire career, Cole has had 58 games with 10 or more strikeouts. In league history, no pitcher has thrown more such games than Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson, who have 215 and 212, respectively. 

Cole, 32, will have ample time to add to his franchise record. He’s in the fourth season of a nine-year, $324 million deal he signed with the organization in 2020, though the deal includes an opt-out after the ’24 campaign.