Yankees ace Gerrit Cole was one of the MLB pitchers most directly linked to the league foreign substance use problem since 2018, when Trevor Bauer, his former teammate at UCLA, referred to Cole, without naming him, as part of a discussion about the effect of foreign substances on a pitcher’s spin rate. Cole’s reputation as one of the players to use sticky substances was all but cemented when a text message he sent to a former Angels clubhouse attendant requesting a sticky concoction was included in a lawsuit filed against MLB and the Angels earlier this year.
For three years, Cole remained largely silent on the subject of foreign substances in pitchers, and entirely on what concerned him. Most of the sport’s stakeholders – including the Commissioner’s Office – have also remained silent on the issue.
Cole spoke Tuesday about baseball’s delicate situation and, to a certain extent, with himself. The usually eloquent and enthusiastic 30-year-old stumbled over his words and appeared tense as he answered questions for 15 minutes during a video news conference. He attempted to give a fairly broad take on the issue, but the most notable moment turned out to be the nearly six seconds Cole spent in silence.
He was asked directly if he had used Spider Tack, an ultra-sticky paste we think it is at the end of substances that pitchers use to increase movement on their pitchesCole froze.
“I don’t know,” Cole said before a long pause, “I don’t really know how to answer that, to be honest.”
To some extent, Cole’s options weren’t good. If he, like many other MLB pitchers, had used Spider Tack, he would admit to violating MLB’s long-standing rule on foreign substances – and ensure he remained one of the most high-profile players related to the league-wide issue. If he had said no, would anyone have believed him after three years of the public – and others in the game – believing Bauer’s allegations to be credible? If, instead, he had said he only used pine tar (which hitters have always considered acceptable), would that have changed the perception of the situation? Although not all substances are equal (sticky), they are all technically prohibited.
Major League Baseball largely kept its hands tied on the issue of foreign substances between 2018 and 2020; Although there is a rule on the books that a pitcher can be ejected and suspended for using sticky substances while out, enforcement has largely been left to managers reporting their suspicions to the umpiring crew – something a coaching staff was rarely willing to do.
Pitchers used foreign substances of a certain variety since before Cole was born, and the use of things like pine tar or a mixture of sunscreen and rosin on the wrist is so widespread that a manager signaling opposition would dare them to demand that his pitchers be reported back. For many years, the question was somewhat philosophical: Is it really breaking a rule if everyone knows there is no way to enforce it?
Cole referenced the history of pitchers using pine tar on Tuesday after offering his initial non-answer to Spider Tack.
“There are customs and practices that have been passed down from older players, to younger players from the last generation of players, to this generation of players,” Cole said. “I think there are some things that are definitely off limits in that regard and I’ve stood my ground.”
After the Pittsburgh Pirates traded Cole to the Houston Astros in 2018, he completely overhauled his pitching profile. The double-seamer is gone, replaced by a tendency to throw his high-spinning four-seamer near the top of the zone.
The Astros were determined to acquire Cole, in part because of his ability to spin the ball to create good movement. Houston was among the first to recognize and understand the value of a high turnover rate, and the organization felt that Pittsburgh misused its arsenal.
In 2018, Cole’s four-seam fastball’s spin rate increased by just over 200 rpm to an average of 2,379 rpm. The following season he jumped again, into the 2,500s, where he has remained ever since. He also saw his fastball velocity increase in 2018 and 2019; rotation is also thought to correlate with speed.
Some trainers and trainers claim that spin can be increased through mechanical, grip and release modifications, although these increases tend to be 100-200 rpm. There is no known consistent way to increase a pitcher’s spin by 300 RPM or more, other than using some of the more extreme sticky substances players use today.
MLB intends to issue guidance to its clubs in the coming weeks regarding enforcement of its foreign substances rule. This is expected to include expanded discretion for umpires to inspect pitchers for foreign substances without needing a manager to flag a potential problem.
This comes after the league held a data collection period during the first months of the season. The league collected random baseballs, tested them for the presence of substances and tracked them to spin rates using Statcast data. The day before a meeting between club owners last week, it was reported that the topic of touchy-feely matters would be the subject of serious discussions.
While the league and club owners met, Cole got an afternoon start against the Rays in which he allowed five runs in five innings. The spin speed on his four seams decreased by more than 100 rpm, and there were decreases on his other three casts as well. When asked about the decrease in spin on his throws, Cole cited mechanical issues.
“I alluded to it a little bit after the game in terms of passing under the ball. I think we’ve seen a trend over the last few games, to be quite honest, where I’m just not bringing out my best game,” Cole said. “So of course, (spin) is something we monitor. Of course, we also monitor other variables when evaluating our performance for each match. You try to gather as much information as possible, as a player. Definitely, this is one of them.
We are in an era in baseball in which live statistics such as pitch speed, spin and movement can be viewed by any informed member of the public just seconds after the pitch is thrown.
Cole will be under the microscope as he faces the Twins on Wednesday and throughout the season as MLB moves toward broader application of foreign substances. Once the terms of application have been defined, the launchers will have to make a choice. For every Cole outing that is examined with public data, there will likely be many other pitchers at the major and minor league levels who will determine what their relationship to foreign substances and their spin rate will be in this world of baseball more closely monitored. .
“I haven’t been given any direction on exactly how this is going to play out,” Cole said. “Fairness is respect for your opponent. I think those two things are at the forefront.
During Tuesday night’s game in Minnesota, the Yankees broadcast showed Cole leaning over the dugout railing, seemingly lost in thought. He will take the mound Wednesday night, knowing that every pitch will be scrutinized to determine his level of fairness and respect towards his opponent.
Further reading
• Answers to all your questions about MLB pitchers, Spider Tack and other foreign substances
• “Almost Everyone Uses Something”: Understanding How MLB Pitchers Cheat
(Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
