While Gerrit Cole was excitedly discussing Aaron Judge’s potential to hit 61 homers this season, he also expressed similar pride in reaching 150 career wins, a milestone he achieved after debuting with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2013, two years after being the top pick in the draft.
In an era where the significance of wins for starting pitchers is sometimes downplayed, Cole made it clear that reaching this number meant a lot to him. Having made 311 starts in his career, Cole said, “I grew up when wins were considered important by everyone, and I still see them that way. Wins are a team effort and reflect how well you and your teammates play together.”
To underscore how wins for starting pitchers have been somewhat de-emphasized, Cole, along with Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and Clayton Kershaw, are the only active pitchers with 150 or more wins.
Verlander, who began his career in 2005, has 260 wins. He reached 250 in his final start with the Mets before being traded back to the Houston Astros and achieved 150 wins in his 295th start on Sept. 8, 2014, during the last winning season for the Detroit Tigers.
