Gerrit Cole fires first MLB complete game thanks to fancy defense

In his third start off the disabled list, Pittsburgh Pirates ace Gerrit Cole looked like he’s ready to roll.

As seen in the MLB Free Game of the Day on Yahoo Sports, the 25-year-old right-hander went the distance in a 10-1 win against the Seattle Mariners, which marked his first career complete game at the major-league level.

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Cole needed just 93 pitches to record his 27 outs. He allowed one earned run on three hits while walking none and striking out six. Needless to say, it was a true gem. However, he did require some assistance from his defense, which stepped up all night and provided some fancy outs at key times.

One of those even involved Cole. Though not exactly smooth from the start, first baseman David Freese managed to turn a bobble into one of the most aesthetically pleasing plays of the season as he went behind-the-back to Cole’s barehand to retire Nori Aoki.

Try watching this creative play again without getting “Sweet Georgia Brown,” the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters theme song, stuck in your head.

It’s impossible.

Not even the dive-bombing pigeon could throw them off their game as they completed the 3-1 putout.

The great plays weren’t limited to the field of play. Check out this great grab by a Pirates’ fan.

Of course, we’re concerned about the Pirates, so check this out from Josh Harrison.

And this beauty from Jung-Ho Kang at the hot corner.

Oh, and we can’t forget possibly the best of the bunch. Here’s Sean Rodriguez going all out.

Needless to say, Cole had the full support of his teammates as they put 10 runs on the board and did all they could to keep Seattle off the scoreboard. It was a complete game in every sense of the term.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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