Report: Yankees' Gerrit Cole Confronted Brett Gardner Over Foreign Substance Joke

New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole reportedly got into a heated confrontation with teammate Brett Gardner after the longtime Yankees outfielder attempted to make light of MLB's sticky substance ban for pitchers.

Bob Klapisch of NJ Advance Media reported Gardner attempted to make light of MLB's midseason ban by walking around the clubhouse with a heavily pine-tarred bat. Cole, who was suspected to be among several pitchers who relied on Spider Tack and other foreign aids, became incensed and confronted Gardner.

The situation eventually resulted in Cole apologizing to Gardner, who is seen as a clubhouse leader and is by far the senior-most member of the Yankees clubhouse.

The ban appeared to have an impact on Cole, who looked like a different pitcher after the ban. Cole posted an 8-3 record with a 2.31 ERA and .198 batting average against over his first 14 starts before going 8-5 with a 4.12 ERA and .246 batting average against across his final 16 appearances, which came after the ban.

While Cole was still an effective pitcher in the second half of the season, he was not the same player. Several pitchers criticized MLB for making an in-season change—especially since it was an open secret across the sport that pitchers were using foreign substances.

Cole's sensitivity likely stemmed from the fact he had to alter his game while playing under the pressure of a massive contract.