Gerrit Cole beats the Astros exit record

SEATTLE – Forty years ago, J.R. Richard was one of the most dominant baseball pitchers, hitting the batters at a pace that few players have experienced before. He stoked a record of Astros 313 in 1979 – his last full season in the majors – and took third place in the national rankings.

SEATTLE – Forty years ago, J.R. Richard was one of the most dominant baseball pitchers, hitting the batters at a pace that few players have experienced before. He grabbed an Astros 313 record in 1979 – his last full season in the majors – and finished third in the National League Cy Young Award.

Despite the rich history of Astros pitchers including Richard, MLB hit king Nolan Ryan, former Cy Young winner Mike Scott and seven-time Cy Young winner Roger Clemens, Richard's mark held good until Tuesday night.

Gerrit Cole He hit 14 batters and allowed two singles in seven scoreless innings, beating Richard's club record when he swept Mariners rookie Kyle Lewis in the seventh inning of the Astros' 3-0 win over Mariners at T-Mobile Park. He has 316 strikeouts for his last start of the season Sunday in Anaheim.

• The score of the box

"A huge honor to be his manager and watch him play," said Astros manager AJ Hinch. "And for it to set a record that could last a very, very long time, it's pretty remarkable."

When Cole forced Lewis to pass through a slider for attack # 314, his teammates cheered on the steps from the top of the canoe. Cole touched his hat to greet them and a large contingent of Astros fans dressed in orange. He threw the baseball into the dugout for a souvenir.

"I just wanted to recognize them and take a moment with my teammates because they are responsible for the trust I have in me," Cole said. "It plays a big role."

• Buy the machine of the champions AL West of Astros

Cole, Richard (313 in 1979 and 303 in 1978) and Scott (306 in 1986) are the only Astros throwers to reach 300 strikeouts in one season. Justin Verlander, who is struggling against Cole in a captivating League AC Cy Young, can join this club if he has 12 in his last start in the regular season Saturday.

If Cole reached a double-digit attack goal on his last start, he would break a major league record that he had matched with his departure Tuesday.

Cole blew at least 10 batters in eight consecutive starts, matching the MLB record shared by Chris Sale (2015, 17) and Pedro Martinez (1999). Cole also joins Randy Johnson (four times), Ryan (twice) and Sandy Koufax (once) in the Hall of Fame as the only pitcher with 20 starts at least 10 catches in a single season since 1920. He removed at least 14 batters five times.

"It's amazing to watch him every time he goes there," Hinch said. "I like the way he talks about pitching, his way of thinking and how he runs. He made some adjustments today. All his grounds have been very effective. I'm not sure anyone in the game will finish as well as Gerrit Cole. "

The Astros (103-54) tied their club record for the most wins in a season, a mark that they established last year. They lead the Yankees by a game and a half for the best league record, with a field lead in the post-season.

• MLB ranking

The only race that the Astros needed came in the fourth when Alex Bregman, accusing the player par excellence of the American League, has won his 40th circuit. Bregman joins Jeff Bagwell (three times), Lance Berkman (twice) and Richard Hidalgo (once) as the only Astros to have scored 40 homers in a season. Houston has conceded 20 consecutive wins in a franchise record.

"I was excited," said Bregman. "Of course, 40, that's great. One of the goals this year was 50, but we did not succeed. We only have five games [left]. I do not think I play twice a game. We have to keep driving. "

When asked about Cole, Bregman said that it makes it as simple as playing a video game.

"He presses a button and places it where he wants," he said. "It's crazy, the race he's led. I had a lot of fun throwing the ball around the infield after he pulled the players out. "

Cole jokingly said it was not so easy.

"It does not happen as maybe Alex thinks," he said. "So, when that does not happen, it can be just as fun to try to be creative to keep them in balance when you can not locate the ball as well as you want." You're just trying to adapt what you have tonight and make it work as best as possible.

In his last regular season start Sunday against the Angels, Cole (19-5) will try to join Verlander as a 20-match winner for the first time in his career. He won 19 games with the Pirates in 2015 and missed his chance to win in his last start this season.

"It's one of the things I do not have as much control over as I think, but I'm just as proud of that as all my statistics," he said. "I am looking forward to this opportunity. I think it would be really unique to have two guys win 40 games. … I'm excited to shoot for that. "

Cole has improved and has amassed 15-0 with a 1.77 earned run average in 22 starts since May 27, becoming the first pitcher since the Roy Halladay Hall of Fame in 2003 to record 15 straight wins in one season. He is the first thrower of the Major League to reach 316 withdrawals since Johnson had 334 in 2002 and the first pitcher AL since Ryan, who had 341 in 1977.

"When his name comes up as a starting pitcher, I can imagine for the opponent that it's pretty daunting," Hinch said.

Director of Mariners Scott Servais can testify.

"He's basically dominant in the league right now, and we've seen him many times this year," he said. "He did it tonight, the four fields worked, locating them, launched a ton of modifications. It seemed like he was working on this ground for a little while. He has an exceptional season and he closed us. We are not the only team to have been closed this year or to stop the rest of their season. "