Gerrit Cole was perhaps a little more pumped up than usual for a start in early June against a last-place team from a different division -- even if he was reluctant to admit it.
Thrust into the position as the face of baseball's burgeoning controversy over the application of foreign substances to improve pitchers' grips and spin rates, Cole responded with a solid effort Wednesday at Target Field in the New York Yankees' 9-6 win over the Minnesota Twins, striking out nine and allowing two solo home runs in six innings.