Astros' Cole Voted September Hickok Belt Winner
10.21.2019
ROCHESTER, NY - Houston Astros star pitcher Gerrit Cole, nicknamed Cole Train, has been named the Hickok Belt® Award winner for the month of September 2019. Voting was conducted by a select panel of members of the National Sports Media Association (NSMA). The voters selected Cole on his extraordinary pitching which led the Astros to the playoffs and to first place in their division of the AL. He is the eighteenth pitcher to strike out 14 or more hitters in three consecutive games. On September 18th, his 29th birthday, Cole became only the second pitcher to strike out 14 or more hitters in three consecutive games. On September 24th he tied the MLB record of consecutive starts of at least ten strikeouts with eight. In the American League Division Series Game 2 against the Cleveland Indians, in a 3-1 win, Cole became the second pitcher in the post season to strike out at least 12 batters with no walks. Hall of Famer Tom Seaver was the only other player to accomplish this feat. Cole’s 2019 season is amazing, with a 20-5 record, a 39.9% strikeout percentage, the best in the majors, 326 strikeouts (again the best in the major leagues), and he led the majors with a 13.818 strikeouts per nine innings. Gerrit Cole is truly a superstar who richly deserves the award.
Other finalists for the month of September in order of how the NSMA ranked them included: Patrick Mahomes (football), Rafael Nadal (tennis), Bianca Andreescu (tennis), Alex Bregman (baseball), Tyson Fury (boxing), Christian McCaffrey (football), Brent Suter (baseball), Kevin Harvick (auto racing), Chris Godwin (football).
His selection as the Hickok Belt® Award winner for the month of September 2019 recognizes Gerrit Cole as “the best of the best” in professional sports for the month and makes him the ninth candidate eligible to receive the overall Hickok Belt® Award for 2019, joining Rory McIlroy, Novak Djokovic, Kawhi Leonard, Brooks Koepka, Tiger Woods, Kyle Busch, Julian Edelman and Tom Brady.
To learn more about the Hickok Belt® Award and its rich history, please visit www.hickokbelt.com.
News Media: For more information, contact Tony Liccione at 585-964-3077 or info@hickokbelt.com.