Cole became the second fastest pitcher in American League history since 1900 to reach 200 strikeouts. It took him 133.1 innings, only slower than Randy Johnson in 2001. It was also his 12th double-digit strikeout game of the year.
His counterpart did not fair so well. A’s starter Homer Bailey could only get through two innings before getting pulled in the third without recording an out. The Astros tagged him for a career high nine runs, and three home runs, in the worst outing of his 13-year career.
They batted through the lineup in the second inning and scored four runs. In the next frame, twelve more Astros came to the plate as they scored seven more. The five through nine hitters in the lineup accounted for nine of the Houston runs on the night.
Yuli Gurriel extended his hit streak to eleven games and set a new career-high with his 19th home run of the season. Yordan Alvarez notched his 34th run-batted-in on a two-run, 410-foot blast which ties the Major League record for most RBIs in their first 30 games. Albert Pujols had the same amount to start his career in 2001.