AL DIVISION SERIES: GUARDIANS VS YANKEES

October 16, 2022

Gerrit Cole

Progressive Field

New York Yankees

Postgame 4 Press Conference

Yankees - 4, Guardians - 2

Q. Gerrit, knowing it was win or go home and that the bullpen probably was a little bit thin tonight, how much pressure did you feel to go deep into this one and give them innings?

GERRIT COLE: I mean, preparing for this game, when he told me I was going Game 4, like, you know, there's an opportunity to clench or an opportunity to go home, I didn't approach the game any different. I just went out there and did my job.

Q. What do you think led to your success through the line-up tonight that's often very pesky?

GERRIT COLE: I thought defensively, you know, being heads-up in the inning early, it is -- like, scrambling, whatever. And Ramirez got the base hit, and to be able to shut that down with that defensive play was big. I thought that a couple double -- I believe there was a couple of double plays there, whatever, the pitch count was in check.

For most of the night, in order to, you know, to pitch around somebody, and overall, just stuff was pretty good. But we just executed a lot of good pitches and mixed well, well enough to get away with a couple of mistakes. And, you know, I mean, I had the lead and was just focused on executing pitches and not giving it up.

Q. Gerrit, facing the same team twice in six days, what adjustments did you feel you needed to make going into this? Was there anything that you felt you needed to bring into this one?

GERRIT COLE: Just prepare for Arias and kept the ball rolling on the guys that we had faced earlier. So just approach it as if they were continuous at-bats.

Q. Gerrit, Aaron Boone said he thought you may have been running out of gas in the last two, three guys. Was there a point where you just said I'm going to empty the tank and leave it all out there?

GERRIT COLE: I do that every time I pitch. I mean, whether he lets me or not, that's another deal. But, yeah, the consecutive mound visits just was to slow down a bit and a little extra time for recovery.

Q. When you're in 7th inning, when you're having to make a pitch that could almost literally determine the season, whether the season continues, whether you compete, are those stakes in your mind in any level at the moment or just thinking about executing a pitch?

GERRIT COLE: No. I mean, they're not in my mind at all. Plus you have a pretty good bunch of guys behind me to back me up if I didn't execute so.

Q. Gerrit, considering the nature of this series, which is four games in four days to finish and how much your bullpen has been used and injured, did you feel the weight to not only win this game but probably to win tomorrow's game, that you had to give some length here to protect that bullpen?

GERRIT COLE: I just don't think about those things. I mean, it's like we have to get the job done as a team and we did that tonight. I just went out there and approached it like I would approach everything else.

Q. What did you make of Naylor's celebration?

GERRIT COLE: Yeah. Whatever. It's cute.

Q. So it seems like it did bother you a bit?

GERRIT COLE: I mean, I just was made aware of it. I didn't see it in the moment, and it wouldn't have bothered me in the moment, and it just is kind of funny so.

Q. What has Harrison Bader meant to this team and how much did the home run change or impact the game?

GERRIT COLE: He got the belt. He's electric really, an electric player, impact player. Impact player. Like got moxie, got baseball awareness, gets after the ball on defense. A lot of good things to say about that guy. And, yeah, he's having a really good series so far. It's obviously been fun to watch.

Q. Gerrit, you probably know Jamison as well as anybody here playing with him in Pittsburgh, friends with him. What advice could you give him for tomorrow, the biggest start of his life?

GERRIT COLE: Just go out and do what he did to clinch the division against Toronto. That was some good stuff.