It has been a turbulent June for pitchers in baseball. But none of them have performed better than Gerrit Cole, the New York Yankees' ace. It only took Cole one pitch to make the spotlight shine a little brighter on Sunday.It was a four-seam fastball at 96 mph with a spin rate 2,414 revolutions per hour. It was thrown into the first row above the Green Monster at Fenway Park. Enrique Hernandez, a Boston Red Sox infielder, hit it. A Yankees fan, wearing a Yankees cap and T-shirt, caught it. He seemed too happy to have gotten a home run ball from his best pitcher.Perhaps the fan did not know Cole had never allowed a first-pitch homer. Cole would later be touched up to allow Rafael Devers to score a three-run homer. Cole had never allowed two first-inning homers before that night. Cole would give up a third home run to J.D. Martinez, and he would be out after just five innings. He had allowed six runs (five earned). He didn't know that Cole's 6.65 June ERA was his worst in a month since he joined the Pittsburgh Pirates back 2017.In fact, the Yankees celebrating fan should have asked the question that so many of us ask: Should the Yankees be concerned about Gerrit Cole?Okay, let's go back a second and admit the absurdity of the question. Cole had a poor month, even by his own standards. His standards are very high. It is clear that Cole's dominance over the Yankees has been so steady, it is worth trying to understand how he struggled and whether these struggles will continue. The Yankees have a steep climb ahead of them to stay in contention, and Cole is the man to pull them up.On Sunday, the Yankees lost 9-2 against the Red Sox in a game that they needed to win especially with Cole at the plate. New York dropped to 0-6 against its main rival. The Yankees fell into fourth place in AL East after the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles. New York is only 17-24 against AL East rivals this season.Especially during Boston's four-run lead, Cole was sometimes frustrated. Cole looked frustrated after Devers hit a pitch right in the strike zone. He slammed into his glove and walked around the mound, while Devers circled the bases. Cole squatted down and sat there for several seconds.Play 0:45 Rafael Devers smites a 451-foot three run jack Rafael Devers smashed a three-run homer in right-center to increase the Red Sox's lead of 4-0.Cole said that he couldn't get the breaking balls down after the game and bemoaned his infrequent command. Cole said that he couldn't get the fastball to where he wanted it. I tried to pitch Devers a good pitch but it was in the wrong zone. "The first pitch [to Hernandez] of the game was also poorly placed."Cole has had a difficult month. Cole allowed nine homers in June, which is the most he's allowed in a single month. Cole allowed 10 homers in August last season. Cole struck out 14.8 batters in nine innings in the March/April period. This dropped to 9.6 in June and 9.3 in May.A pitcher with Cole's track records would normally get the benefit, but Cole's downtick only adds to the spotlight. The biggest story in baseball in June was MLB's tightening rules against foreign substances being applied on the ball. This sticky stuff is what hurlers like Cole have relied upon for grip and sometimes enhanced spin rate and movement.Cole hesitated to speak up about the topic when he was asked earlier in the month. This pretty much guaranteed that his spin rate would be headline news in his subsequent appearances. Cole didn't see it as an issue on Sunday.Although Cole's spin rate was not back to pre-June levels against Boston, his average speed on 37 four-seamers was 2,442 rpm, according Statcast. This was still higher than his previous two outings. His velocity was even more impressive: Cole's four-seam fastball averaged 98.3 miles per hour on Sunday, which is the highest speed for any regular season game in his career.MLB on ESPN Watch the 2021 MLB Season on ESPN and the ESPN App. Tuesday, June 29Giants-Dodgers, 10 ET, ESPN Thursday, July 1.Giants-Diamondbacks, 9 :40 ET on ESPN Sunday July 4Mets-Yankees, 7 ET ESPNTo pick just one pitch type, the spin and velocity combinations of Cole's fastball continue a trend that started this month with news about baseball's recently-implemented enforcement rules. Cole's June average four-seam velocity was 98 mph after Sunday's game, which is the highest he has achieved in his entire career. His average spin rate of 2,398 rpm was his lowest mark since July 2018.Aaron Boone, Yankees manager, stated that "some of the swing-and miss has been a little missing here in the last few outings." "But that's just a small part of it."The underlying metrics that underlie Cole's performance are changing, but that is not enough to cause panic for Yankees fans. Cole is still pitching winning baseball. Despite the disappointing June bottom-line, Cole struggled in just two of his five outings. Cole held his opponent to just two runs in Boston's loss, snapping a string of three consecutive quality starts.Boone stated that "the bottom line is he's coming from two really good starts." "Today will inflate [his ERA]." But, if you really look at it, it was just one pitch that got him. An outing can be ruined by a three-run homer, especially for someone like his.Despite the bad news Sunday and the intense scrutiny Cole and the Yankees have received, Cole is still the best pitcher in baseball. With more than half of the season remaining, Cole will be the most important player on the field. Cole has been down in the past, and Fenway is not his favorite place. He fell to 0-2 with a 4.14 ERA over four career appearances.However, Cole and his team are in the spotlight as the Yankees fall another rung in their standings. Everyone in the Bronx will feel better if Cole can navigate the more complex, highly regulated landscape sooner. Cole is the best person to know this.Cole stated, "It was a very brutal feeling to let down the team like that." Cole said that he wanted to give us a chance to win and was unable to today.
