Yankees' Taillon: MLB should 'completely eliminate' ball-doctoring substances

New York Yankees right-hander Jameson Taillon fully supports penalizing pitchers for using sticky substances and is encouraging Major League Baseball to act immediately.

"I think it's best right now to just completely eliminate it," Taillon said, according to David Lennon of Newsday. "Police it, really enforce it. If the (pitcher's) control gets out of control, maybe we can discuss it. But for right now, the best thing to do is just go completely clean."

He added: "It's pretty noticeable which ones are using it, which ones aren't afraid of getting checked. There's some guys that are really sneaky about it. If you sit back and watch games, there's definitely a lot of guys that you can tell have no fear of going to their gloves and stuff."

Taillon's comments come days after Yankees teammate Gerrit Cole struggled to respond when asked if he's ever used Spider Tack, a substance used to enhance pitchers' grip and spin rate.

Taillon, who also played with Cole as members of the Pittsburgh Pirates, said it was difficult to watch his teammate answer questions about substances but added he doesn't believe a crackdown will hinder Cole's future performance.

"As a friend, it was tough to see," the 29-year-old said. "I've watched the way he prepares for a long time, and I'm confident that he's going to be the same guy going forward, if not even better. I think this may have lit a little bit of a fire under him.

"I don't think some sticky stuff or whatever is what makes Gerrit Cole Gerrit Cole. I think there's a lot that goes into it, so I think he's going to be just fine."

Four minor-league pitchers have been suspended this season for using foreign substances, but no major leaguers have yet been disciplined.