After a shaky start in Game 1, Gerrit Cole gets a shot to finish off the Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Gerrit Cole will take the ball for the Yankees again for Game 4 on Thursday night at Kauffman Stadium, with a chance to send the Yankees to the ALCS after their 3-2 win on Wednesday.

And he hopes for better results than at the start in the Bronx.

On Saturday night, Cole was hit hard in five-plus innings, and it could have been worse than the four runs (three earned) he allowed.

The Royals hit Cole with 11 balls at speeds over 95 miles per hour. This is the highest number of balls he has allowed since statistics were collected in 2015.

The Yankees managed to outscore the Royals in that game, and Cole noted the “outstanding defense” behind him in the opener, but he would rather not test them so much again.

But he said before the Yankees cruised to victory in Game 3 that Wednesday's result would have no impact on his approach to his game.

“Well, for me it’s pretty easy,” Cole said before the win, noting that Wednesday’s result didn’t change his mental outlook. “My goal is to go out there and try to put ourselves in a position to win the game. … We’re trying to win them all. “(Game 3) doesn’t change the meaning at all.”

And he'll probably need better stuff to make it back in Kansas City.

“Obviously they had a little bit of success against him in his last start,” Aaron Boone said. “I've seen that over the years where he has that hurdle in the way, and by and large he usually responds with a really good answer. So that would be my expectation for (Thursday).”

There are a few reasons for Boone to be optimistic beyond the fact that this is his default setting.

Perhaps greatest of all is the fact that even in this poor season for the right-hander, Cole didn't allow more than two runs in two consecutive starts.

Cole will also take a regular break on Thursday, as opposed to the eight days of rest he had between his last regular-season start and the start of the ALDS.

This extended break hasn't typically bothered Cole over the course of his career, but starting Thursday he'll have a more normal routine.

Asked if that would help, Cole said: “I don’t know. But I think I’m ready to go.”

The downside for Cole and the Yankees: The teams that beat Cole well once this season often did it again the next time.

For example, four of Cole's worst starts in 2024 came against two teams: the Red Sox hit him for seven runs in their first game and then hit him for four runs in the game after that.

And the Mets scored six runs against Cole in both games this year.

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As for the Royals' batters, Cole said, “They don't run a lot or strike out a lot, so the ball is in play a lot.”

That, Cole said, “is probably a good sign for them in a big park here.”

They have a lot of team speed and a lot of contact. I don’t know if it’s a conscious thing or if they just chose these players and make the most of the players’ talent.”

And even after an 86-win regular season that saw Kansas City make the playoffs, Cole knows firsthand how dangerous they can be.

“The bottom line is you try to score runs, which they do very well,” Cole said. “You are here for a reason. They’re really good.”