BUFFALO — Yankees pitcher Jameson Taillon pulled Gerrit Cole, his longtime friend, aside. He told him that Rays ace Tyler Glasnow was in the dumps. Glasnow had just laid bare to reporters how he felt in the wake of partially tearing his ulnar collateral ligament, saying MLB’s all-or-nothing crackdown over sticky substances was at least partly to blame.
So, Cole called Glasnow. The pair talked. Cole came away from it feeling for his Tampa Bay counterpart.
Yankees Insider: Get exclusive news, behind-the-scenes observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers
“We’re all out there trying to compete,” Cole told reporters after he threw eight strong innings in a 3-2 win over the Blue Jays at Sahlen Field on Wednesday night.
“He’s working his tail off, trying to compete for his team and it’s just an unfortunate — yeah, man. That’s a bummer.”
Glasnow went on the injured list with a partially-torn UCL and a strained flexor tendon.
“Do it in the offseason,” Glasnow told reporters of MLB’s crackdown, “give us a chance to adjust to it. But I just threw 80-something, 70-whatever innings, and then you just told me I can’t use anything in the middle of the year? I had to change everything I’d been doing the entire season. Everything, out of the window, I had to start doing something completely new. And then I’m telling you, I truly believe, that’s why I got hurt. Me throwing 100 and being 6′7″ is why I got hurt, but that contributed.”
The 27-year-old was in the midst of a strong season, going 5-2 with a 2.66 ERA in 14 starts for the first-place Rays.
Cole declined to share details of their talk.
“I feel for him. It’s a really tough spot for him to be in,” the Yankees ace said.
Get Yankees text messages: Cut through the clutter of social media and text with beat writers and columnists. Plus, get breaking news, exclusive insight and analysis every day. Sign up now.
Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.
Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
