"Things haven't changed that much" - Gerrit Cole feels Yankees still have same target of winning four games to clinch World Series

The New York Yankees are in last chance saloon after falling 3-0 behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2024 World Series, but their ace Gerrit Cole is not willing to throw in the towel just yet. Cole says the Yankees still believe they can overcome the deficit against the Dodgers, but they will need to focus on one pitch at a time to succeed.

Cole is making his second appearance at the World Series after being on the losing end with the Houston Astros in 2019. Cole won the Cy Young Award in the American League last year, but he had to miss a chunk of the 2024 season due to an elbow injury in spring training. Nevertheless, he has been excellent for the New York Yankees during their run to the World Series after 15 years.

On Wednesday evening, Cole spoke to reporters in a press conference ahead of Game 4 at Yankee Stadium.

"It's probably human nature to still ponder what the outcome of the series would be," Cole said. "The outcome of the series is irrelevant past the first pitch.

"There is probably a bit of a mental battle," Cole added. "The creatures of habit, the characteristics of players, and the routines we have to get into every single day. I think that helps you to side back into the mentality that, 'Okay, sure, we have to win four. Well, guess what? We had to win four going into Game 1.' In that respect, things haven't changed that much. One game at a time, one pitch at a time."

Cole was the starting pitcher for the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the World Series. He had a strong outing, lasting six innings and giving up only one earned run, but the Dodgers eventually won the game in extra innings.

There's a lot of baseball left to be played: Gerrit Cole

Gerrit Cole started Game 1 of the World Series for the Yankees (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

During the press conference on Wednesday morning, Gerrit Cole admitted that the New York Yankees are in a hard spot, but the team has not given up its hopes of making a strong comeback just yet. He said the players are still excited to be playing in the World Series and are keen to put out a better performance in the next game.

"Obviously we're in a tough position, but there's a lot of baseball left to be played and anything can happen," Cole said. "We're excited to go out there. I mean, hey, we're still in the World Series; we're in the Bronx; we've got a shot at this thing."

The New York Yankees will host the next encounter on Thursday evening if they can beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 on Wednesday night.