ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Gerrit Cole came within one strike of earning his 20th straight regular-season win before getting pulled, and the New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 8-4 Saturday in the opener of a seven-inning doubleheader.Cole, who had won his first three starts since signing a $324 million, nine-year contract in the offseason, took a 5-0 lead into the fifth.
With two outs and a runner on, Cole had a 1-2 count on Ji-Man Choi, who came back to hit an RBI double.Jose Martinez followed with a two-run homer on the 107th pitch from a clearly tiring Cole.
The ace stared in disbelief and went into a squat as Martinez’s drive left the ballpark.Soon after Yankees manager Aaron Boone took a slow walk to mound to replace Cole with Chad.