PITTSBURGH -- Gerrit Cole emerged victorious in a battle of electric young right arms Friday night, outdueling Noah Syndergaard and looking like one of the National League's top pitchers as the Pirates beat the Mets, 4-1, at PNC Park.
Cole ran out of the Pirates' dugout to start the ninth inning, seeking the first complete game of his big league career, but fell two outs short. The 24-year-old right-hander struck out 10 and threw a career-high 8 1/3 innings, improving to 6-2 with a 2.05 ERA after his seventh quality start of the season.