If a close pitch wasn't called a strike, he snatched the catcher's throw. If the infielders didn't complete a double play, he glared in frustration. If a broken-bat hit fell in, he threw his hands up in disgust.
Hamels was a postseason hero in 2008, helping the Philadelphia Phillies win the second World Series title in franchise history. But when the Phillies tried for a repeat, they couldn't even count on Hamels to pitch Game 2 at hostile Yankee Stadium. Veteran Pedro Martinez got the nod instead, and Hamels blew a 3-0 lead in a pivotal loss in Game 3.
One of the biggest questions surrounding the Phillies entering spring training is whether Hamels can recapture his old form. If so, Philadelphia has an even better chance of becoming the first NL team to win three straight pennants since the St. Louis Cardinals did it 66 years ago.
Hamels had some physical and mechanical issues last season. However, pitching coach Rich Dubee said the 26-year-old left-hander has to work more on his mental approach.
"The biggest problem with Cole last year? In my opinion, he pitched with a lot of anger, with himself mostly," Dubee said Thursday. "He's such a perfectionist. You don't pitch with anger. And he wasn't nearly as focused as he was the two previous years. He expects a lot of himself, not unlike most guys in that clubhouse. But your expectations of what you want and how you approach it are very important, and his approach wasn't very good last year."
Hamels blames his sulking on putting too much pressure on himself. He followed up an All-Star season in 2007 by going 14-10 with a 3.09 ERA in '08. Then he took it to another level in the playoffs. Hamels was 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five starts, earning NLCS and World Series MVP honors.
The Phillies rewarded him with a three-year, $20.5 million contract, and Hamels was a trendy pick to win the NL Cy Young Award. He showed up last spring talking about his desire to win multiple awards and pitch no-hitters. Those expectations made it difficult to handle adversity.
"Anytime you have success there's more expectations," Hamels said. "You sign a contract and you want to be able to go out there and give the fans everything and a little bit more. I understand that I'm only human and I'm only as good as I allow myself to be. I can't really expect to be even better. You have to let the game play out.
"I think that's where I'm at. You prepare for the one pitch you're going to throw instead of the next hitter and the next inning. You have one pitch at a time, you have one hitter. You have to make it a little more simple."
After his impressive performance in '08, Hamels didn't do much that offseason except reap the benefits. There wasn't much time for throwing on the banquet circuit, and his numbers suffered for it. Hamels went just 10-11 with a 4.32 ERA, the highest in his four-year career.
But this offseason was much different. Hamels never stopped throwing. He played long toss at home, took his glove and a few baseballs on vacation and even pitched indoors in a gym when he was in Philadelphia.
The result?
"He's in a much better position than he was last spring, physically," Dubee said. "There is a learning curve in this game, and sometimes it gets lost. Cole Hamels got to the big leagues without a whole lot of learning experience in the minor leagues. The talent level equals out eventually in the big leagues."
Hamels spent last spring working on his arm strength and getting ready for the start of the season - he missed his Opening Day start. This spring, he is working on improving his curveball to mix in with his fastball and changeup. He's also tinkering with a cutter.
"Anytime you're able to add something else that adds another pitch, another possibility to throw to a guy and for them to all of a sudden now have to realize you don't throw just two pitches, but you throw three or four, they can't really narrow it down as much," Hamels said.
Hamels got advice on throwing a cutter from Hall of Famer Steve Carlton, Cliff Lee and John Wetteland. He talked to Mark Prior about rebounding from an inconsistent season.
Some all-time greats are even reaching out to Hamels. Manager Charlie Manuel said he received a phone call from Jim Kaat recently. Kaat, who won 283 games, was having dinner with Hall of Famers Whitey Ford and Bill Mazeroski when Hamels became a topic of conversation for the trio.
"Kaat called me one morning, said he just had to talk to me," Manuel said. "He had dinner with Whitey Ford and Mazeroski and they were talking about Hamels and his pitching. Whitey Ford said Hamels' breaking ball is like his, and when they took it away and taught him a slider, he had trouble getting to it. You'd hang them and you'd get hurt that way."
Hamels can turn to teammates Roy Halladay or Jamie Moyer whenever he wants for encouragement or a few tips. He's got less pressure now that Halladay is here. Hamels doesn't carry the burden of ace anymore.
All he has to do is pitch - and act - the way he used to.
