When an athlete makes the transition to New York, it can sometimes feel like all past accolades cease to exist. It's as if these stadiums, which are flanked by a renowned, rabid fan base, reside in their own bubble separate from every other sports franchise. New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is one such star who has been asked to reaffirm his status as one of baseball's greats since moving to the Big Apple.

The passionate crowd and constant media coverage are obstacles incoming players inevitably go over in orientation, but Cole still had to acclimate himself to the complexity and chaos of big city life. Now entering his fourth season with the Yankees, the five-time All-Star is feeling more at home than ever before.

“It’s awesome,” Cole told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com following his Spring Training debut against the Detroit Tigers on Friday. “I know where I want to eat. I know how long it takes to get to the field. Every year was an adjustment. It just seems like things are more familiar [now]. I find myself being more curious about the game and spending more brainpower on the game, as opposed to making sure I’m not showing up late or calling somebody the wrong name.”

Cole threw three innings of shutout baseball with four strikeouts in the 5-3 loss. The Yankees want Cole to be fully invested in baseball activities, especially with the implementation of the new pitch clock. Scrambling to find the best deli is just added pressure in a town and franchise overflowing with it.

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Fans who grew up after the largely fruitless 1980s are used to seeing this team regularly in the playoffs. They have continued that tradition under manager Aaron Boone, but there is also the expectation that championships will come every so often.

That has not been accomplished in over a decade. Cole was brought in to help solve the problem in 2020. He has posted a 3.38 ERA in 75 starts in New York, made two All-Star teams, finished runner-up for Cy Young (2021) and led the MLB in strikeouts (257) last season. Yet, there have been postseason pitfalls along the way against rivals Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros.

The 32-year-old is still in search of his first World Series ring, but he is no longer searching for the perfect bagel. Fans desperately hope the two are not mutually exclusive.