Gerrit Cole gets a call from Yankees great Ron ‘Gator’ Guidry after breaking team strikeout record

Gerrit Cole got a surprise call from a Yankees legend Tuesday night, as Ron ‘Gator’ Guidry called the New York ace to congratulate him on breaking his franchise single-season strikeout record.

Cole’s strikeout of Nathaniel Lowe in the bottom of the first inning gave him his 249th strikeout of the season, passing Guidry’s previous record of 248 set in 1978.

And Guidry, who won two World Series and a Cy Young in 14 seasons with the Yankees, didn’t sound remotely bitter as he recognized Cole’s feat. 

Gerrit Cole is looking to lead the Yankees to a 28th World Series this postseason

‘I actually have been waiting ever since you put on a Yankee uniform for this moment, because I knew you were gonna do it at some point in time,’ he said to him after the game.

‘Congratulations to you, congratulations to the team on a fine season. You go get some rest now and get ready for the playoffs.

Cole would rack up eight more strikeouts in the remainder of the game, giving him a league-leading 257 for the season.

And it was his turn to address his teammates after his call with Guidry ended. 

Cole was delighted to get a call from ‘Gator’ after breaking the team’s strikeout record

Ron Guidry won two World Series and a Cy Young with the Yankees in 14 seasons with the team

I’m a lifelong Yankee fan, and to be mentioned with guys like Ron Guidry is a little overwhelming.

‘Thanks for hanging in there with me, and let’s get this done.’

Despite his franchise strikeout record, it hasn’t been a completely vintage year for Cole, who’s allowed the second-most home runs (33) in the league.

The 32-year-old’s 3.50 ERA was also his highest since 2017, though his availability was a major boost for the Yankees as he was fourth in the league in innings pitched. 

Cole and the Yankees will have a bit of a break after wrapping up the regular season on Wednesday, as their strong year has earned them a bye in the wild-card round.

They’ll face the winner of the Rays-Guardians series in the division series starting Tuesday.