Gerrit Cole struck out 10 and pitched a two-hitter Sunday to win his fourth consecutive start as the host New York Yankees beat the Minnesota Twins 2-0 to salvage a split of their four-game series.
After getting blown out in the series opener Thursday and blowing a late lead Friday, the Yankees avoided losing a series at home to Minnesota for the first time since 2014.
DJ LeMahieu hit an RBI single and homered off Minnesota’s Pablo Lopez (1-1) to drive in all of the game’s runs.
Cole (4-0) did not allow a hit until Donovan Solano singled to left with two outs in the fifth on the right-hander’s 66th pitch. Michael A. Taylor singled in the sixth but was also left stranded.
It was the second straight day the Yankees took a no-hitter into the fifth or beyond. On Saturday, Domingo German retired the first 16 hitters after he was allowed to keep pitching following a sticky substance check by umpires and subsequent argument that resulted in Minnesota manager Rocco Baldelli being ejected.
Cole has opened a season with four straight wins for the second time in his career, matching the start of his rookie season with the Pirates in 2013.
Cole is now 5-0 in six career starts against the Twins, who last season smacked five home runs off him on June 9 but still couldn’t beat him, losing that day to the Yankees 10-7.
He struck out eight of the first 13 hitters he faced Sunday, including striking out the side in the fourth, before Solano singled.
The 10 strikeouts marked Cole’s second double-digit strikeout game this season and the 58th in his career.
LeMahieu singled in the third for a 1-0 New York lead two batters after Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch and the Twins lost a replay challenge. LeMahieu opened the sixth inning by reaching the short porch in right.
Lopez allowed two runs and seven hits in six innings as the Twins dropped to 4-18 in their past 22 regular-season games in New York.
–Field Level Media
