August 31, 2012
On Thursday, Taylor Cole pitching 7.2 scoreless innings in his team’s 6-1 win over the Yakima Bears. (Photo credit: Vancouver Sun)
Taylor Cole had gained interest from the Dodgers (in 2007) and the Diamondbacks (in 2008) before he joined the Blue Jays organization in 2011. But it wasn’t until his performance this past season that he truly gained the interest of many Blue Jays’ fans. His performance last night certainly secured their faith in him.
Pitching for the Vancouver Canadians in last night’s 6-1 win over the Yakima Bears (Arizona Diamondbacks), Cole pitched 7.2 innings where he struck out six and failed to allow a hit of a walk. He was removed from the game due to pitch count and was relieved by Griffin Murphy, who allowed the Bears’ first hit in the top of the ninth, to break the no-hitter.
The offensive stars of the game were Art Charles, who went 2-for-4 with a double, a homerun and two RBIs; Matt Newman, who went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, two triples and an RBI; and Jorge Flores, who went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
Last night’s performance was Cole’s last regular season outing of the season. He finished, pitching over 66 innings, and maintaining an incredible 0.81 ERA with only 17 walks and 56 strikeouts. His dominance on the mound entitled him as be named the Vancouver Canadian’s Best Pitcher of the Season, along with teammate, Javier Avendano.
Cole talked to JaysProspects on Sunday about winning the award. “It was a huge honor to share the award with Avendano,” the Las Vegas native said. “He’s really helped me be the best I can be. He goes up there and puts up zeros and really has stellar performances. And it really helps me to do the same or do even better. He probably didn’t even know it, but he helped me to perform better this year.”
Cole found success last year with the Vancouver Canadians as well, as in his first year with the Blue Jays, the young right-hander posted a 1-3 record with a 5.88 ERA with 6.7K/9 innings pitched. His performance on the mound, helped his team win the Northwest League Championship last year. “It was a magical season being able to win the championship,” he told JaysProspects last season. “My teammates really made it count when it was needed. When you play better players, you really have to limit your mistakes and make sure that you are dialed in mentally. I know what it feels like to experience failure and how it feels to have your mistakes haunt you. I’m prepared to work hard and make sure that I can continue to limit those mistakes and improve for this upcoming season.”
It’s evident that Cole’s hard work this season had paid off. Let’s hope that the Vancouver Canadians can keep winning and push for a playoff spot, and help Cole (and his teammates) soon win another Championship.