Gerrit Cole and his California Cool Wife Enjoy Every Minute of His Astros Hall of Fame Game: Just Don’t Call Him Mister — Why the Beyond Loose Astros are Playoff Rolling

George Springer just happens to look up at his locker — and there it is. A glossy signed photo of teammate Josh Reddick just perched above Springer’s nameplate. But it’s not just any photo. It’s an action photo — Reddick is shown in full face first slide, reaching for more.

Springer shakes his head as he looks at the offending prankster.

“I’m the guy in the picture. Of course,” Reddick shoots back when a reporter asks if he left the photo for Springer. “I have no shame in sharing the love.”

This is how loose the Houston Astros are on baseball’s most pressurized stage, arguably the most nerve-wracking, easy-to-over-think-and-seize-up postseason stage in all of professional sports. Two games into October, and the defending champions are already making themselves at home.

The Astros pummel the Cleveland Indians with the relentless ruthlessness of Khabib Nurmagomedov in two games at Minute Maid Park. Game 2 ends in a 3-1 Houston win, a clinic in historic pitching dominance from Gerrit Cole and a dissertation on timely hitting from Marwin Gonzalez and friends. Cole’s throttling seems to take the last bit of fight out of the Indians — with the Astros rolling to a 11-3 win and the first postseason sweep in franchise history in Monday’s Game 3 in Cleveland.

That means the Astros outscored the Indians 21-6 and outhit them 34-13 in a best of five series that ends before the sun even sets Monday afternoon. Excuse Indians manager Terry Francona, a man who knows what historic World Series winners look like from his Red Sox days, if he feels like he’s spent a few rounds in the octagon.

“They always push,” Francona says of the Astros. “They continue to push. And they put heat on you all the time…”

This October, the Astros also have Gerrit Cole. And the Indians, and the Red Sox, and the Yankees don’t. On some late afternoons, like Saturday, that is all the difference in the world. Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow identified the most undervalued potential ace and went out and traded for him.

Now, Cole is bringing the heat. And it’s historic.

The Indians have a better chance of getting a free meal in Houston than they do of hitting Cole on this day. Heck, Tom Cruise has a better chance of winning back Katie Holmes than Cleveland has of hitting Cole.

Gerrit Cole, Hair Man

The 6-foot-4 right-hander with the flowing, curly head of Thor-worthy hair is beyond dominant. Cole strikes out 12 without giving up a single walk in a seven-inning, 98-pitch masterpiece. It’s a Hall of Fame game.

No, really.

The only other pitcher in Major League Baseball history to strike out 12 batters or more without walking anyone happens to be Tom Seaver, one of the most iconic pitchers of all time. Seaver whiffed 13 Cincinnati Reds without issuing a single walk in a playoff game 45 years ago to the day.

“I’m proud of him,” Astros lifeline Jose Altuve says of Cole. “We’re all proud of him. That kind of game is…”

Ridiculous, it’s simply ridiculous.

No wonder why a reporter addresses the Astros’ new ace as “Mr. Cole” while trying to ask a question in the postgame press conference. “Gerrit,” Cole quickly interrupts before the query can continue.

This California cool 28-year-old from Newport Beach and then UCLA is not about to let himself be called a mister.

And on this day, you’d better call Gerrit Cole whatever the heck he wants to be called.

Cole is married to a former UCLA softball player who is also the sister of Major League all-star Brandon Crawford. Amy Cole is not about to let her man get a big head. Sure, she tweeted out a few links documenting her husband’s dominance.

But Amy Cole also branded Cole’s Astros teammate Charlie Morton “a national treasure” in her Twitter feed a few days ago.

This isn’t a couple that shares a monster ego. The Coles will never be mistaken for The Kardashians.

“It’s pretty cool,” Cole says of matching Seaver. “Maybe, I’ll have a glass of wine about it after this is all done.”

The Ace of Trades

Gerrit Cole’s certainly earned that glass — and much more than his relative bargain (by MLB ace standards) $6.75 million salary this season. Consider that the Astros Game 1 ace Justin Verlander makes $20 million a year — and the Indians Game 1 loser, Corey Kluber, earns more than $10 million a season.

Some company cannot be bought, though.

Cole already joined Bob Feller in history earlier this season, becoming the first pitcher since Feller — one of the most legendary arms in the history of the game — in 1946 to record at least five strikeouts in every one of his first 30 starts of the season.

Tom Seaver and Bob Feller. That’s pretty, pretty, pretty good.

“It’s not that easy,” Astros closer Roberto Osuna says of Cole’s brilliance. “Pitching in these games is not as easy as he makes it look.”

What’s next? Cole finds his own Robin Ventura charging fool to batter a la Nolan Ryan.

After all,  Cole is seemingly joining legends at every turn. Remember, this is the pitcher the Pittsburgh Pirates essentially gave up on after he slumped into a 19-22  pitcher with a 3.88 and 4.26 ERA in back to back seasons. This is the arm that New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman didn’t believe enough in to go all in on, the one he didn’t want to give up a significant prospect to acquire.

Oops.

The Bregman Bonus

While Friday’s Game 1 is a rollicking party full of Astros fun, Saturday’s Game 2 turns into an intense starring contest. Whoever blinks loses.

Despite 11 strikeouts through six innings by Cole, Houston still trails 1-0 going into the bottom of the sixth. When Cole comes back out to take the ball in the seventh, he’ll have the lead, though. It comes courtesy of another big playoff moment from the always under-the-radar Marwin Gonzalez, who already owns arguably the most important home run in Astros history.

Cleveland knows a different type of history — and it’s all must be rushing back.

The Astros held the Indians of Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez and Josh Donaldson to six hits in two games at Minute Maid. They’ve made Cleveland and all its power bats look like one of the most inept offenses in baseball.

Houston third baseman Alex Bregman drove in just as many runs himself (three) as the Indians did as a entire team in the first two games. Bregman hit another home run on Saturday. Of course, he did. That’s what he does.

“He reminds me a lot of (Astros great Craig) Biggio,” old Astros ace Roy Oswalt says of Bregman. “Just the way he carries himself out there.”

Bregman. Cole. Verlander. Marwin. Altuve. Springer. October’s back — and it’s all so picture perfect for Houston’s defending champs already.

As long as the picture is not a self glossed photo of Josh Reddick.

“George got his,” Springer says. “I gave one to (reliever) Josh Smith. I spread the love…”

That’s the way of these Astros in October.