The pressure is now on Gerrit Cole to pitch like an ace – and make this World Series really interesting

Gerrit Cole hasn't done the historic ace thing this time of year and insisted on taking the ball with his team facing elimination in Game 4.

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The Yankees still won Tuesday night with him as a cheerleader.

So now he has to give modern ace. He is at complete rest. The way the Yankees envisioned laying the building blocks toward a baseball miracle was winning Game 4 while the Dodgers were throwing a bullpen game and then turning to their ace to put them cross country once more. The bottom of the Yankee order, in particular, and the length of their bullpen — co-stars, essentially — were key to an 11-4 season-saving victory Tuesday night.

“We won a game, and you know, the best pitcher in baseball is coming for us [Wednesday] Obviously, it gives a sense of hope to take it back to LA,” Nestor Cortes said.

Cole will have a Yankee season in his right hand, a chance to make some of his legacy and some history as the Yankees try to make the bigger history that inspires documentaries.

Anecdotal history is that none of the 24 previous teams that lost a World Series three-games-to-none forced a Game 6. The Yankees are now just fourth in 25 to avoid the sweep.

“You've got your man on the mound, you've got the reigns [AL] Cy Young Award winner,” Luke Weaver said. “You got the guy who was great in Game 1. Got what he needs in the arsenal. Let him go and see what happens.”

At the time, Cole was signed to the largest pitching contract in the history of the game. For the Yankees. for yourself They wanted the ace that could lead them to The Canyon of Heroes. Cole wanted the championship that eluded him. 5 years of marriage, here he is with a Yankee season and his legacy in the game. With a style of play that is both a lifesaver for a team and a barometer for oneself.

“That's one of the biggest things we've talked about [after falling behind 0-3]”Jose Trevino said. “Get the ball in Cole's hands and then, get the ball in Rodon's hands and then, we'll see what happens.”

They are still a long way from what will happen, even a guaranteed return to Los Angeles. So it falls on Cole — now fully rested and with the ability to empty whatever tanks he has left — to get the Yankees on a plane again in 2024. Start thinking about the historical implications of a blowout to the Dodgers more seriously. A three-game-to-cone lead.

Cole said there was no conversation about him coming up short in Game 4. Because the righty missed the first two-plus months of the season with an elbow injury, Aaron Boone thought it wouldn't be wise to push, even with the season on the line.

But now fully rested and with the Yankees deploying relievers for 11 ¹/₃ in 18 innings Monday and Tuesday, Cole must cover at least six of the 88 pitches he delivered in Game 1 when he surrendered one run. They needed a star to honor the supporting cast that enabled the Yankees to avoid the ignominy of being humiliated.

The bottom third of the Yankees lineup hit 4-for-34 (.118) with 12 strikeouts in this best-of-seven. But Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells and Alex Verdugo had great at-bats and drove in the Yankees' first seven runs. Volp stands out the most. His third-inning grand slam was a game-changer and re-energized what was a view-low crowd of 49,354. Volpe, who was an 8-year-old Yankees fan when he attended the Canyon of Heroes parade in 2009, played a game befitting his idol, Derek Jeter. He made some sparkling defensive plays, stole two bases and used his bat and legs to produce the game's first, five-run eighth inning.

That first run made it 7-4 and up until that point, Gleyber Torres, Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton had been hitless in 11 at-bats. But Torres crushed a three-run homer, Soto doubled and the Jazz drove in their first run in the World Series.

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The Dodgers were in full punt mode at the time, pitching a bullpen game and refusing to use their four key relievers — lefties Anthony Banda and Alex Vecia and righties Michael Kopech and Blake Treinen. The Game 5 starter, Zach Flaherty, who pitched so well against Cole in Game 1, will be all new.

Perhaps this is a winning strategy. But it started a bunch of Yankee hitters feeling good about themselves and allowed the Bronx crowd to be Bronx-y again (with the promise of more Wednesday) and make sure the ball goes to the Yankees.

“We knew in the back of our heads one loss and two and three as bad as it felt,” Clay Holmes said. “We knew what a win could feel like and we have Gerrit tomorrow and then the momentum can build.”

The ball and history are in Gerrit Cole's right hand.