In previewing Gerrit Cole, it’s hard to break down exactly what a team can do to beat him because it’s not really in their hands. Cole is a special pitcher, even without sticky stuff, as we’ll get to in a minute. This was his worst year since leaving Pittsburgh and he’s still going to lead the American League in strikeout-to-walk ratio and receive Cy Young votes. Some pitchers were seemingly propped up entirely by sticky stuff, like Miguel Castro or James Karinchak, but despite his despondence back in June when asked if he had ever used Spider Tack, Cole has not turned into a pumpkin after the league began enforcing their rules.
The Red Sox should be looking for heat from Gerrit Cole
