Alek Manoah Calls Gerrit Cole The 'Worst Cheater' In MLB History

Toronto Blue Jays starter Alek Manoah had some harsh words for Yankees ace Gerrit Cole.

Manoah was recently asked on a Canadian television broadcast who he considered the biggest cheater in MLB history.

With little hesitation, Manoah called out a division rival and one of baseball's highest paid pitchers.

Manoah isn't shy, but naming Gerrit Cole publicly certainly isn't going to make him any friends.

It also might be a bit of an unfair characterization.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 22: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees looks on between batters against the Houston Astros during the first inning in game three of the American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium on October 22, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Whatever he's used didn't seem to help him in last season's playoffs.

READ: GERRIT COLE REACTS TO JOSH NAYLOR MID-GAME CELEBRATION

It's a near certainty that Cole was using sticky substances to enhance his pitch repertoire.

While pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the early part of his career, he was extremely inconsistent.

In 2015, Cole was one of the best pitchers in baseball, putting together a 19-win season with over 200 strikeouts.

But he struggled mightily the following two seasons, with a 4.26 ERA in 2017 leading to a trade with Houston.

That's when everything changed.

Cole immediately became one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball, with a league leading 2.50 ERA in 2019.

Similarly to Justin Verlander, a trade to the Astros "unlocked" something for him that another team couldn't identify.

Cheating accusations surfaced soon afterwards, and rightfully so.

But it's disingenuous to pretend that only Cole was using sticky substances. It was a league wide issue that Trevor Bauer famously highlighted. With just one trick, his spin rates jumped tremendously in the middle of a game.

Calling him out specifically might be accurate, but it's a bit unjustified. Even though there's a few months before the 2023 season starts, it's a guarantee Cole will remember these comments when facing the Blue Jays.