Per Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle announced that Gerrit Cole will start the National League Wild Card game against the Cubs. Neither National League Wild Card has been officially claimed yet, though the two teams are known. The Pirates lead the Cubs by two games with two games remaining, so they will earn the right to host with a win or a Cubs loss in either of the two games.
The winner of the NL Wild Card game will move on to face the Cardinals in the NL Division Series.
Cole, 25, turned in a fantastic season for the Pirates, finishing the regular season with a 19-8 record, 2.60 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and a 202/44 K/BB ratio in 208 innings. Cole was taken by the Pirates first overall in the 2011 draft.