Gerrit Cole sets career high with 281 strikeouts

Right-hander Gerrit Cole has been nothing short of brilliant in his second season with the Houston Astros, and he added to his growing legacy on Sunday against the Seattle Mariners.

Cole celebrated his 29th birthday by setting a new career high in strikeouts with 281, surpassing last season's total of 276. With the Astros adopting a four-man rotation the rest of the way, he could get four more starts over the club's final 18 games to add to his total and eclipse the 300-strikeout mark.

(Video courtesy: MLB.com)

He punched out 15 Mariners batters on 96 pitches over eight innings of work in the 21-1 blowout win. In doing so, Cole extended his streak of double-digit strikeout games to 17, improving upon his franchise record, according to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart.

Cole is just the second-ever player after Pedro Martinez (1999) to strike out 14 or more in three straight starts, McTaggart adds.

The lone blemish on his line was a solo home run to Mariners infielder Shed Long. It was the only baserunner he allowed.

Cole is now 16-5 with a 2.73 ERA and 13.72 K/9 over 184 1/3 innings.