TORONTO — Gerrit Cole accomplished plenty in his first 10 years in the big leagues, but missing from his résumé coming into this season were a Cy Young award and a World Series.
The Yankees have not been good enough around Cole to chase a title, but the ace all but guaranteed himself the AL Cy Young on Wednesday night with his 33rd and final start of the season.
The right-hander likely had the award locked up before he even stepped foot on the mound Wednesday, but in case he needed a closing argument, he made a convincing one.
Cole tossed his second complete-game shutout of the season, a two-hit gem in a 6-0 win over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
With the Blue Jays (87-71) trying to nail down a playoff spot, Cole suffocated them.
He lowered his ERA to 2.63 while finishing the season with 209 innings — both the best marks in the American League.
Cole struck out five and walked none across 105 pitches. In five September starts, he walked just three batters and allowed only four runs across 35 innings.
Aaron Judge provided his fellow Yankees pillar with plenty of run support, crushing a pair of two-run home runs to give him 37 in 103 games this season.
In the process, the Yankees (81-77) ensured they will not have their first losing season since 1992.