Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole put together his best start in recent memory Sunday as New York earned a victory over the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium.
The $36 million right-hander went 6 2/3 innings while allowing four hits with one walk in his first decision of the season. Cole helped the Yankees to a 10-2 verdict.
Following the contest, though, one specific video posted to social media had many believing Cole was cheating while others believed there was nothing wrong. The video shows Cole seemingly grabbing at his right quad after a pitch. His right quad, looking a bit discolored from his white pinstriped baseball pants, seemingly had some sort of dirt or substance in the area.
The video had more than a half million views as of Monday afternoon. You can watch it here.
Cole was not asked about the situation during his postgame press conference. He was asked about the biggest difference from his previous performance (1 2/3 innings vs. Detroit Tigers on April 19) to Sunday’s result.
“Probably just a bit better self-talk out there,” Cole said, per YES Network. “Just a little more aware of the situations. And a lot of runs.”
Cole was among those who struggled after Major League Baseball put a halt to pitchers using “sticky” substances midway through the 2021 campaign. He has been outspoken about his tendencies, and those previous statements only fuel the fire when it comes to future speculation.
