Hal Steinbrenner Not Worried About Gerrit Cole in Post-Sticky World

Steinbrenner invested $324 million in Gerrit Cole. He expects the Yankees ace to be just fine following MLB’s crackdown on foreign substances.

Hal Steinbrenner is not rushing to worry about his $324 million investment in a post-sticky world.

The Yankees managing general partner fielded a barrage of questions about his team’s woes and Aaron Boone’s job status on Thursday, but Gerrit Cole also came up. More specifically, Steinbrenner was asked about Cole’s recent struggles coinciding with—first the expectation and then the implementation of—Major League Baseball’s crackdown on illegal foreign substances.

Cole has not been as consistently sharp since MLB’s intentions became clear in early June. The Yankees ace is coming off a June 27 performance in which he allowed five earned runs and eight hits over five innings in a 9-2 loss to the Red Sox. His Game Score of 33 was his worst as a Yankee.

Gerrit Cole's Worst Start With Yankees Leads to Another Red Sox Sweep

Cole also allowed five earned runs over five innings on June 3. He tossed three games in between in which he allowed two runs apiece and lasted six to eight innings. Cole has a 2.66 ERA this season, but he pitched to a 4.65 mark in June. Of course, those five-run outings inflated that mark, but Cole’s spin rates have also suffered noticeable dips since it became clear that MLB was going to enforce its long-ignored rules.

Steinbrenner, however, isn’t concerned just yet.

“Gerrit Cole is a special, special guy,” Steinbrenner said Thursday. “He’s obviously more than a one-pitch pitcher. His courage, his strength, his toughness—I’m not worried about that right now based on a couple performances.”

Cole and the subject of sticky stuff have become a popular pairing, and not just this season. Cole’s name became—let’s say stuck—to the topic, however, on June 8 when he took a long, awkward pause before dancing around a question about his use of Spider Tack.

"I don't quite know how to answer that, to be honest,” he said, clearly frustrated by the question.

Gerrit Cole on if he ever used Spider Tack while pitching:

"I don't quite know how to answer that, to be honest...If MLB wants to legislate some more stuff, that's a conversation that we can have" pic.twitter.com/2fR1AUeOQX

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) June 8, 2021

Cole has since talked about foreign substances and MLB’s regulation numerous times. With a relatively rough month behind him—he has still managed some strong starts recently—Cole will now begin July with a duel against the Mets. He is scheduled to take the mound at Yankee Stadium on Sunday in Game 1 of a doubleheader. It will be his first Subway Series with fans in attendance.

If Cole pitches poorly again, or continues to do so throughout the season, more questions could arise about how he’s adapting, especially since he’s only in the second year of a record nine-year deal.

“Time will tell, as with any pitcher or any position player,” Steinbrenner said, “because clearly the expectations are high."

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