So whenever I might say "history," I really mean since 1908.
This list goes back to only 1908, which is as far back as the invaluable Baseball-Reference Play Index goes.
There is one franchise, however, for which the highest nine-inning Game Score in a postseason game matches the best in the regular season. Postseason is another beast altogether given the importance of every game (though my editor says to be prepared to go there come October).
I considered only regular-season starts.
Two final notes before I reveal my selections: You also have to consider the opponent and the era - strikeouts are more plentiful now, although complete games are scarce. With the way Game Score is calculated, the more innings you pitch, the higher your Game Score can go, so most franchise records are from games from decades ago, when pitchers would pitch deep into extra innings. This wasn't as simple as just finding the best Game Score for every team. With Cole's game in mind, I thought it would be fun to research the best starts for every franchise.
Subtract two points for each unearned run allowed.
Subtract four points for each earned run allowed.
Subtract two points for each hit allowed.
Ědd two points for each inning completed after the fourth.
Ědd one point for each out recorded, so three points for every complete inning pitched.
What is Game Score?ĭevised by Bill James, Game Score is elegant in its simplicity with 100 sort of a "perfect" score and a 90 essentially an A+ game (there were 14 90-plus scores in 2019): There have been just 15 such games in outings of nine innings or fewer since 1908, so while Cole's game didn't receive the notoriety of a no-hitter or perfect game, it was more impressive in many ways, less reliant on the fortune of where a ball was hit and more dependent on his pure dominance. I wondered: Was this the best start in Astros history? Cole's Game Score was 100, a rare achievement. Cole called it "probably my best" start of his career. As a remarkable side note, Cole didn't strike out any batters in the first or ninth innings, so 16 of the 21 outs from the second through the eighth were strikeouts. He fired a 16-strikeout shutout against the Diamondbacks, allowing just one hit and one walk. On Gerrit Cole pitched one of the best games you will ever see. As part of ESPN's Strikeout Saturday on March 28, 2020, David Schoenfield updated his evaluations, particularly of who's most likely to beat each team's best-ever pitching performance. Editor's note: The original version of this story ran on June 27, 2018.