Gerrit Cole’s Game 4 Performance Catapults Yankees To ALCS

New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole looked up with trepidation when Kansas City Royals center fielder Kyle Isabel sent his fastball to deep right field in the bottom of the seventh with two outs and the tying run on the plate.

With inward wind gusts at Kauffman Stadium in the pitcher's favor, Yankees right fielder Juan Soto caught the ball with his back against the bullpen wall. Cole, who had just faced his last opponent, walked off the mound shouting triumphantly.

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The reigning American League Cy Young winner recorded four strikeouts and no walks while allowing just one earned run and six hits in his seven innings of work. His efficiency guided the Bronx Bombers to a 3-1 victory over the Royals Thursday night to close the ALDS and secure a Yankees trip to their 19th ALCS.

Cole's performance contrasted with that of Game 1, where he surrendered a home run, seven hits, and three earned runs in five innings. The righty threw 80 pitches through four innings in Game 1. He threw 80 through seven on Thursday.

Cole wasn't the only pitcher producing this series. Yankee relievers threw 15⅔ scoreless innings in the series.

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"These guys want the ball in any situation. They are dogs out there," Cole said about the Yankee bullpen. "They faced some adversity, and they've been able to bounce back, and we trust them."

Cole's faith goes beyond his bullpen and to the dugout as well.

"This is a resilient team," Cole said postgame. "We weren't going to take these guys lightly. They pitched us well all series, back and forth in the first game. That was a real tough one to pull out and then we responded. We came on the road and played really well."

For AL MVP frontrunner Aaron Judge, the Yankees' resilience grants unwavering belief that a World Series might return to the Bronx.

"There's something special here," Judge said. "I think we got a little bit of the ghost from the old stadium, a little bit of magic there too."