Gerrit Cole flashed a smile.
On the eve of Game 1 of the ALDS, the Yankees ace considered his answer to a short, but not necessarily simple, question: What would winning the World Series mean to him?
“I’ve been trying to do that for a long time,” Cole, 34, said. “That would be great. That would be amazing. We’ve got a long way to go, though, so don’t bring me there. We’ve got to take care of Saturday first.”
Now 12 years into his MLB career, Cole enters Saturday night’s ALDS opener against the Kansas City Royals in the Bronx with a 10-6 record and a 2.93 ERA in 17 playoff starts, yet a championship has eluded him.
Cole made it to the 2019 World Series with the Houston Astros, who lost in seven games to the Juan Soto-led Washington Nationals.
He signed a nine-year, $326 million contract with the Yankees the following offseason and started their first playoff game in each of the next three postseasons, but they have not advanced past the ALCS since his arrival.
They hope to change that this year.
“It’s always a special feeling getting the ball anytime you take it in Game 1,” said the California-born Cole, who grew up a Yankees fan. “It’s even more special here with this uniform. It feels good knowing where we started the season and what we’ve had to do to get to this point, so I’m just very thankful.”
Indeed, it’s been a roller-coaster year for Cole, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, who underwent a battery of tests during spring training after experiencing discomfort in his prized elbow.
After a few days of tension and uncertainty, Cole was diagnosed with elbow inflammation and edema, avoiding the worst-case scenario.
Still, Cole missed nearly the first three months of the season. His pitch count wasn’t fully built up when he made his 2024 debut on June 19. He owned an uncharacteristic 5.40 ERA through seven starts. Known for his durability, Cole skipped a turn in the rotation in late July due to body fatigue.
But Cole got rolling at the right time. His 2.25 ERA over the season’s final two months was the seventh-lowest among MLB starters. He allowed one run or fewer in seven of his last 10 starts.
“It’s a season of ups and downs, a season of perseverance,” Cole said. “I’m thankful that I was able to come through the injury all right and be in a good position, as good a position as I can be at this point, and feeling really good going into the most important games of the year. I just feel really blessed in that regard.”
Cole’s best two starts of the season were his final two. On Sept. 20, Cole held the Oakland A’s to one run and two hits over nine innings — his first time pitching more than six this year.
He followed that gem with 6.2 shutout innings against the Baltimore Orioles on Sept. 26, picking up the win as the Yankees clinched the AL East for the first time in two years.
“He looks like Gerrit Cole, like an ace,” manager Aaron Boone said Friday. “He’s got a lot of ways to beat you, a lot of ways to get you out. I feel like he’s got a handle on his arsenal right now, and a pretty good command of the entire arsenal, too. Excited to see him go do his thing tomorrow.”
Cole goes into Saturday’s start with a 4-2 record and a 3.49 ERA in seven postseason starts with the Yankees.
He faces a Royals team that totaled only three runs in their two-game sweep of the Baltimore Orioles in the Wild Card round but that ranked in the upper half of MLB teams in runs, OPS and stolen bases during the regular season.
“Just a lot of quality hitters, good team speed, good power,” Cole said. “Led by, obviously, a world champion, MVP-type, Hall of Famer in Salvador [Perez], along with one of the most dynamic talents in the game, Bobby Witt [Jr.]. They have some veteran guys with playoff experience and good savvy towards the bottom of their lineup and on their bench.”
Cole finished the regular season at 8-5 with 3.41 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 95.0 innings over 17 starts. With the injury behind him, Cole hopes to end a challenging year in triumph.
“I got a second bite at the apple, and I’m in a really good position right now,” Cole said. “I’m just overall thankful for it.”
