CLEVELAND – Gerrit Cole was one pitch better than Shane Bieber in a heavyweight matchup of aces as Rougned Odor and Aaron Hicks homered off Cleveland's Cy Young winner in the fifth inning, giving the New York Yankees a 2-1 win over the Indians on Saturday.
Cole (3-1) struck out 11 and allowed just three hits in seven innings to beat Bieber (2-2) in a rematch of their meeting in last year's playoffs.
Cole's 50 strikeouts in his first five starts are the most for any pitcher in New York's storied history. Bieber fanned nine — the first time he hasn’t reached double digits in five starts — and tied Hall of Famer Randy Johnson’s record with his 17th straight start of at least eight strikeouts.