Video: Yankees Ace Gerrit Cole Sounded Guilty When Answering Ball-Doctoring Questions

The MLB has decided to come down hard on pitchers who are using foreign substances and have provided the Umps with some power to check on anyone on the bump they feel is doctoring the ball. New York Yankees ace right-hander Gerrit Cole finds himself in the middle of the mess, as he's been one pitcher the league seems to be focused on.

Cole met with the media on Tuesday and let's just say it was awkward as hell. Cole wanted no part of the press conference and even less to do with the question about ball-doctoring:

I don't quite know how to answer that to be honest. 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. I think there are some things that are certainly out of bounds in that regard and I stood pretty firm in terms of that, in terms of communication with our peers and whatnot ... This is important to a lot of people who love the game ... If MLB wants to legislate some more stuff that's a conversation we can have because ultimately we should all be pointing in the same direction on this.

In his first start after the new rule, Cole's spin rate dropped tremendously and he was touched up for a bunch of runs sparking a ton of questions online.

MLB announces the penalty for getting caught with a foreign substance is a 10-game suspension. Gerrit Cole’s first start since that announcement, he gives up five earned runs and counting. He hadn’t allowed more than two in a start this season. Hm.
— Jared Carrabis (@Jared_Carrabis) June 3, 2021

Here's Cole's interview, you be the judge:

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