OAKLAND — Jharel Cotton’s latest battle with the Kansas City Royals obviously didn’t go as smoothly as his previous one.
You’ll recall that April afternoon at Kauffman Stadium, when Cotton took the mound before a jam-packed crowd in the Royals’ home opener and handcuffed them over seven innings, surrendering just two hits.
That led Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez to say that Cotton’s stuff reminded him of his own back in the day, a comparison that mushroomed into quite the big story.
Those statements made the A’s rookie gush with pride, and rightly so. But the hype that often swirls around him also has created expectations that don’t always match up with reality.