Cole strikes out 1st batter, hits 2-run single

Paul White | USA TODAY Sports

UPDATE, 9:33 p.m.: PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole quickly made a neat impression in his major league debut.

The overall No. 1 pick in the 2011 draft struck out the first hitter he faced Tuesday night, fanning San Francisco's Gregor Blanco with three straight 96 mph fastballs.

In his first plate appearance in the bottom of the second inning, Cole lined a two-run single with the bases loaded off two-time Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum.

Pittsburgh promoted the prized rookie from Triple-A earlier in the day.

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This isn't exactly how Gerrit Cole wanted it, but the 2011 No.1 overall draft pick finally gets what he thought he deserved a couple of months ago — his first major league start today for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Pittsburgh general manager Neal Huntington didn't quite want it this way either, but the Pirates have little choice and just might get a shot of energy in a playoff race they're very much a part of.

Cole will face the visiting San Francisco Giants, plugging a hole in what has been a solid Pirates rotation but has been hit by injuries to Wandy Rodriguez and Jeanmar Gomez.

"When they're ready, not because we need them," Huntington has said of promoting Cole and other prized pitchers in the farm system.

Cole might fit both scenarios. The Pirates certainly need him, and his recent performances indicate he's ready.

The right-hander hasn't allowed a run in his last two starts for ClassAAA Indianapolis, giving up five hits in 14 innings. Just as important are his two walks and eight strikeouts over that span.

Command issues were part of the reason the Pirates opted to have Cole start this season in the minors, a decision the 22-year-old wasn't thrilled about when he was demoted March18.

"I tried to give them a lot of opportunities to not make this decision," a visibly upset Cole said then. "But in the end, it still happened."

His early performances in the minors backed Huntington's contention that Cole needed more seasoning. In fact, he still has 28 walks and 47 strikeouts in 68 innings, certainly not a dominant ratio.

The timing of Cole's debut probably saves the Pirates a year before he becomes eligible for arbitration.

Though the date for players attaining Super Two status (the 22% of players debuting this year who can go to arbitration after their second season) has yet to be determined, it is expected to end up being sometime in the first week or two of June.

That's why other marquee call-ups, including the imminent debut of New York Mets pitching prospect Zack Wheeler, should be coming soon.

Huntington denied in spring training and again during the season that Cole was in the minors for economic reasons. Had he started the year on the big-league roster, he would have been eligible for free agency in 2018 instead of 2019.

Cole's clock is running now, and the focus shifts to the 99-mph fastball coming out of his 6-4, 240-pound frame.