To say that Gerrit Cole has performed disappointingly since he walked off the mound at Fenway Park to end his disastrous Wild Card Game start would be an understatement. While fans would have appreciated to see a Cole who began 2022 angry and with something to prove, he’s started the season angry at Billy Crystal and performing the worst of a starting rotation he was expected to lead.
The narrative around Cole, particularly from the mouths of fans of other teams, says that his Cy Young-caliber stuff was the product of pure sticky stuff, and the crackdown turned him into a good but not great pitcher.