Pirates rookie right-hander Gerrit Cole had an impressive debut Tuesday night against the Giants.
Cole (1-0) fired six scoreless innings and took a shutout into the seventh inning before permitting a run-scoring double to Tony Abreu and another run on a ground out. He also helped his cause with a two-run single in his first big-league at-bat. The top pick in the 2011 draft, Cole yielded two runs on seven hits while striking out two in 6 1/3 innings.
"When you have a lead, it allows you to be aggressive," Cole said. "If there's no one on base, I'm going to just challenge guys."
Cole's fastball touched 99 mph twice and it registered 96 mph or better 36 times. He threw 81 pitches, 59 for strikes. Manager Clint Hurdler has yet to indicate whether Cole will return to the minors or remain in the rotation.