Nearly eight years ago, the Pittsburgh Pirates began a three-game series on the road against the Detroit Tigers with a 5-4 win in 14 innings. Yankees Manager Aaron Boone said he expects the matchup between veteran aces to add “a little extra buzz” to the crosstown rivalry. Cole and Verlander will always be linked for the two seasons they bullied major league batters while anchoring the Houston Astros’ starting rotation. In 2018 and 2019, the two years Cole spent with the Astros, Houston’s co-aces combined to go 72-25 with a 2.62 E.R.A. In 2019, they led the Astros to their second American League pennant in three seasons, though they lost the World Series to the Washington Nationals in seven games.

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Persons: Gerrit Cole, Justin Verlander, Aaron Boone, Cole, Verlander, Houston’s, Cy Young Organizations: Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Tigers, Comerica, Yankees, Verlander’s Mets, Citi Field, Tuesday, Houston Astros, Astros, American League, Washington Nationals