Gerrit Cole was "flattered" by a comment from MLB legend John Smoltz, but wants to make sure the Astros don't get ahead of themselves.
Houston shocked the world Wednesday when it landed Diamondbacks ace Zack Greinke in a trade in the waning moments of the deadline and Smoltz was one of the first men to congratulate Astros owner Jim Crane in a phone call, via MLB.com.
"Man, you really did a great job of putting that together," Smoltz told Crane.
"Yeah, it looks like (John) Smoltz, (Tom) Glavine and (Greg) Maddux," Crane replied.
"No, no, you guys are way better than we ever were," Smoltz said.
Astros owner Jim Crane said John Smoltz called him today to gush about his rotation: "Smoltz said 'Man, you really did a great job of putting that together.' I said, 'Yeah, it looks like Smoltz, Glavine and Maddux.' He said, 'No, no, you guys are way better than we ever were.'"
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 2, 2019
It's a huge compliment coming from a man not only connected to one of the best rotations of all time, but also a guy who was in one of the most epic pitching matchups ever with Jack Morris in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series.
Smoltz had the best stuff in one of the best rotations ever, so for him to say Houston is better than that assortment of Hall of Famers (Smoltz-2015, Maddux-2014, Glavine-2014) is a heck of a statement.
Again, Cole was absolutely flattered, but he was the first to pump the brakes on those comments.
“Thank you, John, for that, but some of us have a little ways to go," he said after Houston's 9-0 win over the Mariners on Saturday.
Cole upon hearing John Smoltz told Crane the Astros rotation is better than 1990s Braves: “Thank you, John, for that, but some of us have a little ways to go.” pic.twitter.com/ujwJIetBjN
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 4, 2019
For what it's worth, the Astros have four pitchers this season in the top 12 in ERA (Cole, Justin Verlander, Wade Miley, Greinke), three in the top five in WHIP (Cole, Verlander, Greinke) and four in the top 20 in WAR (Verlander, Cole, Greinke, Miley).
Those are numbers tough to match for any rotation. The Braves came close though on multiple occasions and did it for a very long time. This Astros rotation as currently constructed could be over at the end of the year if the team doesn't re-sign Cole and Miley.
But for now, it has caught the attention of the best pitcher with the best stuff in one of the best rotations ever. That is something in and of itself.