Yankees' Gerrit Cole Would Rather Not Discuss Foreign Substances

Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole did not want to talk about the alleged text message that put him under scrutiny this offseason.

A defamation lawsuit — that was dismissed in January — from former Angels visiting clubhouse manager Brian “Bubba” Hawkins against Los Angeles and MLB featured a text message allegedly from Cole that referenced Hawkins potentially supplying him with an unknown substance that could be used on a baseball, NJ.com reports.

“Probably not a whole lot of good is going to come from diving into that,” Cole told reporters after pitching Friday night. “So, should just leave it alone.”

Cole also avoided questions about the league’s plan to more closely watch pitchers are putting on balls by using clubhouse monitors and advanced technology to see who might be cheating and what they’re using, the article states.

“I have no thoughts on that,” he said.

When asked if Cole thinks it will affect him, the pitcher stated he's "not too concerned."

In the text message in question, Cole allegedly told Hawkins he had a “sticky situation.”

“We don’t see you until May, but we have some road games in April that are in cold weather places,” Cole, while a member of the Astros, allegedly wrote to Hawkins in January 2019. “The stuff I had last year seizes up when it gets cold.”

Cole made his final start of spring training Friday and looked strong. He pitched over 5 2/3 innings, throwing 86 pitches, and shut out the Orioles, striking out five and giving up two hits with no walks.