Former UCLA pitcher and No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 MLB draft Gerrit Cole’s major league debut was a memorable one on Tuesday night.
Cole and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants 8-2, with the former Bruin out-dueling two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum.
The hard-throwing righty struck out the leadoff batter of the game on three straight fastballs and held the Giants scoreless through the first six innings. Cole also helped out his cause at the plate, knocking in a pair of runs on a single in his first at bat to take the early lead. He finished with 6.1 innings pitched, allowing just two runs on seven hits to take his first career win.
Drafted in the first round out of Orange Lutheran High School (Orange, Calif.) by the New York Yankees in 2008, Cole passed on a professional career to come to Westwood to play for coach John Savage. Cole played for three seasons at UCLA, helping the team reach the College World Series in 2010. The Bruins made it all the way to the national championship series before losing to South Carolina.
Former UCLA pitcher Charles Brewer also made his MLB debut, throwing 1.2 scoreless innings of relief for the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night. Savage said the team was very excited to see both Cole’s and Brewer’s debuts.
“We practiced and we came in and watched the game in the clubhouse and everybody was excited,” Savage said of the current team. “(Cole) had a hit and two RBIs and he threw really well. I was very proud of him and the way he handled it. I thought he had good composure and he was going pitch to pitch and not getting too ahead of himself. We’re all very excited about Gerrit and his future, and we just know that the Pirates have a potential No. 1 starter. We’re very proud of Gerrit and his accomplishments so far in professional baseball.”
Brewer and Cole became the 71st and 72nd UCLA players to play in the majors and the eighth and ninth Bruins, respectively, who played under Savage.
Compiled by Tyler Drohan, Bruin Sports senior staff.