The Pirates face the Astros this Tuesday, June 25, for Game 1 of a three-game set in Houston — and Gerrit Cole reportedly will take the mound.
Oh, yes. That's happening.
Cole played his first five seasons with the Pirates, notching a career-high 33 starts in 2017 before being shipped to Houston in January 2018 in a trade that netted Joe Musgrove, Colin Moran, Michael Feliz and Jason Martin in return.
While originally drafted by the Yankees in 2008, Cole elected to attend UCLA, giving the Pirates the opportunity to select him first overall in 2011.