NEW YORK (AP) — Gerrit Cole pitched a two-hitter with 10 strikeouts for his fourth career shutout and the second complete game in the majors this season, leading the New York Yankees to a 2-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.
DJ LeMahieu homered and hit an RBI single for the Yankees, who earned a split of the four-game series after putting slugger Giancarlo Stanton on the injured list with a hamstring strain before the game.
Cole (4-0) lowered his ERA to 0.95 in four starts, finishing off the Twins on 109 pitches in only 2 hours, and 7 minutes. He got the final nine outs on just 25 pitches and retired former Astros teammate Carlos Correa on a fly ball to end it.
It was Cole’s seventh career complete game and his first shutout since July 10, 2021, at Houston. The only other complete game in the big leagues this year also came against Minnesota, when reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara threw a three-hitter for Miami in a 1-0 win on April 4.
After giving up an AL-high 33 home runs last season, Cole hasn’t allowed any this year. He’s opened a season with four straight wins for the second time. The right-hander also won his first four decisions as a rookie with the Pirates in 2013.
Cole improved to 5-0 in six career starts against the Twins, who hit five homers off him on June 9 last year in Minnesota.
It was Cole’s second double-digit strikeout game this season and 44th since the start of the 2019 season — most in the majors. He also tied Ron Guidry for the team record with his 23rd double-digit strikeout game since signing with New York following the 2019 season.
Cole didn’t allow a hit until his 66th pitch when Donovan Solano singled to left field on a 2-2 slider after fouling off three pitches with two outs in the fifth inning. Michael A. Taylor also singled for the Twins in the sixth.
LeMahieu, batting fifth for the first time this year, had an RBI single off Pablo López (1-1) in the third and homered off the top of the right-field fence in the sixth. LeMahieu hit leadoff in his first 10 games.
López allowed two runs and seven hits in six innings.
RIGHT HAND MAN
Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator of “Hamilton,” posed for pictures on the field with his cousin, Minnesota infielder José Miranda, and attended the game. Lin-Manuel Miranda was unable to attend last September when the Twins played a four-game series at Yankee Stadium.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Twins: RHP Louie Varland was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul, two days after pitching six innings. LHP Brent Headrick was recalled from St. Paul.
Yankees: 3B Josh Donaldson (right hamstring strain) will play a minor league rehab game Tuesday with Double-A Somerset and could be activated Wednesday. … RHP Luis Severino (right lat strain) threw a bullpen.
UP NEXT
Twins: RHP Sonny Gray (2-0, 0.53 ERA) pitches Tuesday night in Boston to open a three-game series.
Yankees: RHP Clarke Schmidt (0-0, 8.44 ERA) opposes Angels LHP José Suárez (0-1, 10.80) in the opener of a three-game series at home Tuesday night.
