Toronto Blue Jays star Alek Manoah called out Gerrit Cole in a video published Monday, reviving accusations of cheating during the latter's career.
Appearing on Serge Ibaka's How Hungry Are You? (starts at 11:19 mark), Manoah named the New York Yankees ace for his alleged use of sticky substances in response to a question about "the worst cheater" in Major League Baseball history.
"He cheated," Manoah said. "He used a lot of, like, sticky stuff to make his pitches better. And he kinda got called out on it."
This isn't the first time a fellow player has accused Cole of using sticky substances to improve his arsenal.
Josh Donaldson, who is now Cole's teammate, threw out an accusation while speaking to The Athletic's Dan Hayes in June 2021.
"Is it coincidence that Gerrit Cole's spin rate numbers went down [Thursday] after four minor leaguers got suspended for 10 games?" Donaldson said. "Is that possible? I don't know. Maybe. At the same time, with this situation, they've let guys do it."
Donaldson was referencing four minor league pitchers who were suspended for using foreign substances during games.
In response to the accusation, Cole didn't deny that he had used something on the grounds of "customs and practices that have been passed down from older players to younger players."
Matthew Roberson @mroberson22here's gerrit cole's response when asked point blank if he has ever used spider tack, one of the sticky substances baseball is looking to crack down on <a href="">
Midway through the 2021 season, MLB did increase its efforts to crack down on pitchers' use of substances during games. Umpires now check a pitcher in between innings or if they get removed from a game to make sure they are on the up and up. Starting pitchers usually get checked multiple times per game.
Per Baseball Savant, the spin rates on Cole's fastball, curveball and changeup have decreased in each of the past three seasons. His fastball went from a peak of 2,530 rpm in 2019 to 2,505 in 2020, 2,452 in 2021 and 2,428 in 2022.
Cole's slider did tick up from 2,582 rpm in 2020 to 2,600 in 2021, but it dropped to 2,569 last season.
Of course, declining spin rates don't necessarily mean Cole was using a substance and stopped when MLB began enforcing its rules. It could be a natural function of aging and arm speed, as he's now 32 years old.
If nothing else, Manoah's comments will add fuel to the Blue Jays-Yankees rivalry as the two teams prepare to fight it out in the American League East next season.
