There are many reasons to see Gerrit Cole debut with the Yankees, which will likely come in a luxurious matchup against Max Scherzer and the reigning World Series champs Nationals on July 23. On the one hand, there’s the record-breaking nine-year, $ 324 million contract Cole signed with New York in the winter. The right-hander is coming off a momentous 2019 season in which he combined to strike out 373 batters between the regular season and the postseason, the fifth-most in a year in history. And then there’s the fact that Cole will finally wear the striped Bronx Bombers uniform, 12 years after telling the Yankees, “No thanks,” when New York chose him in the MLB Amateur Draft and instead opted for launch at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
But there’s another reason you might have forgotten: Cole will be looking to make history from his very first start in 2020. The right-hander, who looked great in an intersquad game with the Yankees on Tuesday, has made it through a calendar year without suffering an injury. regular-season loss, a stretch of 16 consecutive positive decisions that began on May 27, 2019. That means Cole would need to start 2020 8-0 to tie Hall of Famer Carl Hubbell. for the longest winning streak for a pitcher in history in games in which he was the record pitcher (meaning he qualified to win or lose that game). With a victory on Opening Day, Cole – who currently remains tied for 10th place (15 pitchers) on the all-time list – would be moving up the rankings.
Let’s examine the nine pitchers with the longest winning streaks than Cole’s since 1904, listed in descending order. (Note: These streaks do not include postseason appearances, which means Cole’s loss to the Nationals in Game 1 of the World Series last year does not preclude him from tying Hubbell’s mark.)
1) Carl Hubbell – 24 consecutive victories
Streak: July 17, 1936 – May 27, 1937
As everyone knows, Hubbell struck out five Hall of Famers consecutively in the 1934 All-Star Game and also threw an 18-inning shutout in 1933. Thus, this streak is just one of several extraordinary achievements. on your way to Cooperstown. It all started with a shutout of the Pirates that left the Hubbell Giants two games over .500, but 15 more wins in a row (including 13 more complete games) by Hubbell guided New York to the championship. National League and earned Hubbell his second MVP Award in the National League.
The Yankees eventually defeated Hubbell in Game 4 of the World Series, but the screwball master’s regular-season streak remained intact for the first two months of the 1937 campaign. A crowd of 61,756 fans gathered. He made an appointment at the Polo Grounds on May 30 to watch Hubbell attempt to win No. 25, but the Dodgers spoiled the party with five early runs. In all, Hubbell’s streak included 21 wins as a starter and three more from the bullpen (he also booked two saves along the way).
2) Roy Face – 22 consecutive victories
Streak: June 7, 1958 – August 30, 1959
Face’s 1959 season is one of the most memorable reliever seasons of all time: His 18-1 record that year still represents the most wins ever by a pitcher with one or no losses. The right wing of the Pirates, who was characterized by throwing the forkball or “fork ball”, would throw several innings without any negative effect, and his dominance reached the peak in mid-July 1959, when he finished with a record of 13- 0 with a 1.10 ERA. Face saved three of the Buccaneers’ four victories when Pittsburgh beat the Yankees to win the 1960 World Series.
3-T) Jake Arrieta – 20 consecutive victories
Streak: August 4, 2015 – May 25, 2016
Arrieta’s streak is perhaps the most dominant in terms of numbers on this list. For starters, it included not one, but two no-hitters – the first came on a Sunday at Dodger Stadium and the second less than eight months later in Cincinnati. He also made up the majority of the second-half that is the largest a pitcher has ever had, in terms of ERA (0.75). Overall, Arrieta gave up just 14 earned runs in the 20 games he won.
3-E) Roger Clemens – 20 consecutive victories
Streak: June 3, 1998 – June 1, 1999
The Rocket had his streak wearing two different uniforms, starting with the Blue Jays heading for their second AL Cy Young award in a row and then continuing when he was traded to the Yankees. Clemens needed a bit of luck, too, escaping without a decision in seven starts in which he conceded three or more runs – including a seven-lap attack against the Orioles and a five-stripe cluster against the Rangers in 1999. Clemens passed anyway. almost a calendar year without knowing defeat.
3-E) Rube Marquard – 20 consecutive victories
Streak: October 1, 1911 – July 3, 1912
After winning his last decision in 1911, Marquard made history by going 19-0 to start the 1912 campaign – still a record for the most wins without a loss to start a season. Marquard’s mark would eventually have been 20-0 if he had pitched in the current era; He pitched a blank inning as a reliever on April 20 and then watched his Giants rally to triumph in the close of the ninth inning, but the rules back then gave the winger to the pitcher who pitched the most innings. The offense was very supportive of Marquard: He scored victory in each of his first 12 decisions of 1912 by at least three runs.
6-E) José Contreras – 17 consecutive victories
Streak: August 21, 2005 – July 4, 2006
The Cuban’s streak began and ended in perfect symmetry with the Yankees as rival and Hall of Famer Randy Johnson as the opposing pitcher in both games. In between both parts of Contreras’ streak in 2005 and 2006 was the 2005 postseason, which saw the right-hander triumph in three of his four starts to help the White Sox win the long-awaited World Series.
6-E) Johan Santana – 17 consecutive victories
Streak: July 17, 2004 – April 26, 2005
Even on the backhand, the Venezuelan shone, conceding just two runs with a pair of homers against the Angels in the 2-1 loss that ended his streak on May 1, 2005. The Twins’ ace threw several gems before that, including a 14 strikeout strikeout performance against the Orioles in September 2004 that helped secure the first of two Young Circuit Cy Young Awards. In all, Santana put together 22 consecutive starts in which he allowed three deserved runs or less to close out the 2004 season.
6-E) Dave McNally – 17 consecutive victories
Streak: September 22, 1968 – July 30, 1969
McNally started 15-0 in the 1969 season and was nicknamed “McLucky” (Lucky) by his teammates – because Baltimore reacted to triumph in seven games in which McNally trailed. But it wasn’t his fault he was backed by a powerful lineup of Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson and Boog Powell. The southpaw eventually spun four seasons with at least 20 wins for Earl Weaver’s team.
6-E) Johnny Allen – 17 consecutive victories
Streak: September 10, 1936 – September 30, 1937
Allen came pretty close to preserving his streak for at least one other game, but ultimately suffered a loss in the final game of the season when he fell in a game in which Tigers starter “Whistling Jake” Wade threw a shutout of One hit – it’s worth adding that Wade entered the game with a 5.64 ERA. Allen finished his career 142-75, for a .654 win-loss percentage that places him 11th among Modern Era pitchers with at least 200 career decisions. (GG) (TAKEN MLB.COM)