'He'll get it one day': Cole loses no-no in 8th

ST. PETERSBURG -- Four All-Star appearances and a league ERA title reside in Gerrit Cole’s personal trophy case, but to date, the ace right-hander is still seeking the first no-hitter of his professional career -- a fact that generates surprise in every corner of the Yankees’ clubhouse.

Cole paced the length of the visiting dugout at Tropicana Field, electricity pulsing as he worked on yet another deep no-hit bid. Isaac Paredes’ leadoff single in the eighth inning ended Cole’s flirtation, but after the Yankees rallied for a 4-2 victory over the Rays on Monday, his teammates agreed: Sooner or later, Cole will have his date with history.

“Every night he goes out there, he has the chance to do that. It’s really, really impressive,” catcher Jose Trevino said. “The way he prepares, the way he comes out and performs and toes the rubber, I’ve been nothing but impressed with him.”

After Cole registered 12 strikeouts over 7 1/3 dominant innings and Clay Holmes saw his scoreless-innings streak end at 31 1/3 frames, Aaron Hicks ripped a go-ahead RBI triple in the ninth inning. Wandy Peralta locked down the final three outs to secure the Yankees’ Major League-leading 50th victory of the season.

“I think we’ve just got a lot of ‘dawg’ in us,” Cole said. “We love to play every pitch. Whether we’re winning or whether we’re losing, it’s just a focus on one pitch at a time. Everybody is kind of taking care of their business for their teammates, really.”

Starting pitching has been a strength for the Yankees, who have seen four instances of a pitcher carrying a no-hit bid into the seventh inning this season -- Nestor Cortes and Jameson Taillon did it, and this was Cole’s second time, having also fired 6 2/3 hitless innings on June 3 against the Tigers.

“You can see it starting to bleed onto other guys,” Trevino said.

The Yankees have had 12 no-hitters in franchise history, the most recent of which was Corey Kluber’s gem on May 19, 2021, against the Rangers in Arlington. Before that, they hadn’t seen one since David Cone’s 1999 perfect game over the Expos. It is a list that Cole would love to join.

“I’ve had a few good nights before,” said Cole, who threw a one-hitter in 2018 with the Astros. “Honestly, in this situation, I’m just glad we got the win. It takes everybody, so we pick each other up.”

Any thoughts of perfection were gone by the first inning, as Cole walked Ji-Man Choi, the first of three free passes he permitted. But Cole struck out Randy Arozarena to end the first, then fanned the side in the second inning before striking out the first two batters of the third, a sign he had his good stuff.

“I thought his slider was special early,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Then he just got in a rhythm there and he was dominant. I thought his fastball was great, but the slider seemed to be really good tonight.”

Cole knew his pitch count could be an issue; Trevino said a no-hitter crossed his mind in the seventh, when the crowd “turned up a bit.” Cole was at 86 pitches through five innings, then tossed a seven-pitch sixth and a 10-pitch seventh. From his vantage point in center field, Aaron Judge believed Cole had a shot.

“He was just cruising; it was a normal Cole day, nothing out of the ordinary,” Judge said. “But I noticed it there in the sixth inning. He’s going to get it here soon. Hopefully I’m playing center when he does.”

It ended, of course, as Paredes grounded Cole’s 105th pitch for a clean single to Judge in center field. Judge reeled in a deep Josh Lowe fly ball for the first out of the frame; Cole “felt pretty fortunate” to get away with the pitch, saying his adrenaline had dropped and he was “running low on steam.”

Boone turned to Holmes, who hadn’t permitted a run since Opening Day on April 8 against the Red Sox. Francisco Mejía greeted Holmes with a pinch-hit double to right; after an RBI groundout brought Paredes home, Mejía scored on Manuel Margot’s game-tying RBI infield single, leaving Cole with a no-decision.

Holmes said that Cole deserved better; he’s seen plenty of Cole’s best efforts over the years, their careers intertwined from service with the Pirates. As Cole continues to seek a day with zeros in the hit column, Holmes agrees that it’s not a matter of if, but when.

“Honestly, his numbers are pretty crazy -- advanced stats, third time through, it’s still really good for him,” Holmes said. “He’ll get it one day. He was close tonight.”