Blue Jays’ Alek Manoah Calls Yankees’ Gerrit Cole ‘Worst Cheater’ In MLB History

Starting pitcher Alek Manoah of the Toronto Blue Jays doesn’t seem to have much respect for Yankees ace Gerrit Cole.

When asked who he thought was the “greatest cheater in baseball history” during a recent appearance with former NBA player Serge Ibaka on Sportsnet’s “How Hungry Are You,” Alek Manoah unabashedly identified Gerrit Cole.

Blue Jays’ Alek Manoah Calls Yankees’ Gerrit Cole ‘Worst Cheater’ In MLB History

“Gerrit Cole,”  Alek Manoah uttered. “He used a lot of sticky stuff to make his pitches better, and he kinda got called out on it.”

MLB recently tightened regulations regarding the use of foreign substances by pitchers. In 2021, umpires started routinely checking pitchers throughout a game for substances like “Spider Tack.” One of the pitchers who allegedly utilized sticky material to enhance his pitches in the past is Cole. The Yankees’ star never made a firm denial of it.

“I don’t … I don’t know … I don’t quite know how to answer that, to be honest,” Cole said during a 2021 ESPN interview. “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, and I think there are some things that are certainly out of bounds in that regard.”

In August, after outfielder Aaron Judge was struck by an inside fastball, things started to become heated between Alek Manoah and Cole, and things eventually came to a head. But aside from some ranting back and forth, nothing ever happened.

After the game, Manoah responded to Cole’s reaction by saying, “I think if Gerrit wants to do something, he can walk past the Audi sign next time,” referring to the advertising just in front of the dugouts.

The right-next-hander’s matchup against the New York Yankees shouldn’t be too far off because the Blue Jays will be in the Bronx from April 21–23. So hopefully we’ll get to see an Alek Manoah-Cole matchup for everyone.

 

 

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