Gerrit Cole Hits 100 MPH in Professional Debut


Pittsburgh Pirates’ right-handed pitching prospect Gerrit Cole made his professional baseball debut yesterday with the Mesa Solar Sox of the Arizona Fall League.

Cole, the no. 1 overall pick in June’s MLB First-Year Player Draft, gave up three runs in 2.1 innings pitched, but was happy with the outing overall.

From the Pittsburgh Pirates website:

“I felt pretty good. It was exciting and I did well,” said Cole, who reportedly hit 100 mph with his fastball and the upper 80s with his slider. “I was a little bit nervous during the warmup pitches, but I was OK. I can take a lot of positives from the game as well as some negatives that I have to acknowledge.”

Cole got through the first inning without letting a runner on base. The 21-year-old allowed a lead-off single in the second but struck out two batters to eventually end the inning. After recording one out in the third, Cole allowed a single, a walk, and a two-run double, which would end his outing.

He threw 36 of 52 pitches for strikes.

You can check out some video of Cole throwing in yesterday’s game at the ever-reliable Pirates Prospects, including Cole’s strikeout pitch to Florida Marlins’ top prospect Matt Dominguez.

These 20 NFL Free Agents Will Flop with Their New Team
Check out the 50 Biggest Hall of Fame Snubs
Check out the Hottest Actresses in Sports Movies


We Recommend