ST PETERSBURG, FL – JUNE 20: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees pitches in the first inning during the game between the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on June 20, 2022 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Tyler Schank/Getty Images)
Everyone loves a good scapegoat and Monday night’s nominee is Michael Kay, who is responsible for Gerrit Cole’s blown no-hitter.
When a pitcher is throwing a no-hitter (or while it’s active, a n*-h*tter), it is one of baseball’s most important unwritten rules that you do not say anything about it to jinx the event.
Beloved New York Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay had to announce to the world that Yankees ace Gerrit Cole was through seven no-hit innings in Monday’s contest against the Rays. Cole promptly allowed his first hit of the evening in the eighth on an Isaac Paredes double.
Yankees: Michael Kay jinxed Gerrit Cole
Cole finds himself atop a list of pitchers that has surprisingly never thrown a no-hitter in his career. One of the most dominant pitchers in the game, he has finished in the top-five in the AL Cy Young Award race four consecutive seasons (2018-2021) and has an ERA title and four All-Star Game selections to his name but never a no-hitter. Not yet, anyway.
The Yankees ace was mowing through the third-place Rays’ lineup when Kay took to Twitter to tell everyone to check out the game. Cole, 31, made it through seven and a third tonight, allowing an earned run (that Clay Holmes – who it turns out IS human – allowed to come around and score) and striking out 12 Rays.
As one could imagine, the Twitter World was not thrilled with Kay when he jinxed Cole’s bid for history and the users of everyone’s favorite social media site did not hold back.
Even if Cole wasn’t quite able to seal the deal tonight, he was able to add to his case for his first career Cy Young Award and the Yankees were able to win the contest, topping the Rays in Tampa Bay 4-2 in a game that saw Anthony Rizzo homer and Wandy Peralta earn his second save of the 2022 season.