You don't become the recipient of a nine-year, $324 million contract without being able to deliver when it matters. With great wealth comes great responsibilities, and New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole knows that the burden he carries with regards to their World Series hopes is immense.

Thankfully for him, he was able to pitch them out of a jam in Game 1 of their ALDS clash against the Cleveland Guardians.

During the third inning, the Guardians offense started to heat up following a Steven Kwan home run to right field. Cleveland loaded the bases against Gerrit Cole, threatening to blow the game wide open early on, but Cole remained composed and he struck out Andres Gimenez, the Guardians' breakout second baseman, to end the inning.

After the game, Cole revealed what was going on in his mind that allowed him to remain as cool as a cucumber amidst a pressure-packed moment.

“I prepared myself for traffic. I certainly had quite a bit of it, too many experiences with traffic this year,” Cole said, per ESPN. “You do what you normally do. We were really clear on what pitches we wanted to execute in those situations.”

Gerrit Cole was definitely hardened by the fact that he pitched in the most competitive division in baseball, the AL East. The Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, and Baltimore Orioles all finished above. 500, while the Boston Red Sox, despite struggling in 2022, took part in the 2021 ALCS not too long ago, making them tough opposition still.

The 32-year old starter also has a chip on his shoulder to deliver for the Yankees, as despite making runs to the postseason in the past few years, Cole still has not won a World Series title. In addition, Cole grew up as a Yankees fan, and he would be very satisfied with himself after doing his part in the Yankees' quest to claim their 28th championship.

“It was very special for me,” Cole added. “It was very special. The game's not over, left with traffic. It's not the most comfortable time to acknowledge the crowd, but I certainly felt it and appreciate it. I thought they were in every pitch tonight, and what a wonderful experience to have them behind us.”

While Gerrit Cole loves to pitch, he will definitely hope that the Yankees take care of business as soon as possible and that they won't need to call upon him against the Guardians any further.