Despite being the reigning American League Cy Young, Gerrit Cole is not content. He is focused on improving his pitching repertoire and becoming truly unstoppable. Such dominance is not typically found in today’s game, but the New York Yankees ace is still intent on ascending to the next level of greatness.

There is one pitch he believes is preventing him from achieving the perfect blend of versatility- his change-up. Cole knows exactly the Hall of Famer he wishes to emulate in that regard, and he happens to have an extremely unique relationship with Yankees fans.

“My worst pitch is still my change-up, so maybe Pedro Martinez’s change-up,” Cole said when asked by Yes Network’s Jack Curry about the one pitch he would borrow from any hurler in history. “I have three pitches that go to the left and if I could have something that good that moved that much to the right, that would be pretty ideal.”

The name Pedro Martinez evokes feelings of disgust, smugness and mockery all throughout New York. Though, those emotions are also expressed with the understanding that the Boston Red Sox legend is one of the greatest starting pitchers in modern baseball history. Cole isn’t wrong about his change-up, either.

Even elite hitters were powerless against its superb movement, as Martinez masterfully kept them guessing. Gerrit Cole shouldn’t be overly critical of himself, however. He recorded an AL-best 2.63 ERA along with 222 strikeouts, a 0.981 WHIP and a 15-4 record in 2023.

His ambition to hone his change-up, which could make his fastball even more punishing in the long run, should further ingratiate himself to a Yankees fandom that always craves a warrior’s mindset.