KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Gerrit Cole pitched like an ace again and now the Yankees are heading back to the ALCS.

But he didn’t do that without a little drama. He gave up a long Kyle Isbel fly ball to the right-field fence with two outs in the seventh that was just yards away from tying the score at Kauffman Stadium.

Juan Soto was able to get the ball in to get out of the inning, and the Yankees advanced to a 3–1 victory over Kansas City in Game 4 of the ALDS.

Aaron Boone admitted that “my heart skipped a beat” as Isabel drove to the gate.

Cole let out a scream as he walked toward the dugout after it was over.

“I was excited,” Cole said.

He had reason to.

Cole ultimately allowed just one run on six hits – and no walks – while striking out four in seven innings.

Now he and the Yankees are one step away from the World Series in a season that started with Cole on the injured list because of an elbow infection that sidelined him in March.

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Cole hasn’t come close to the consistent dominance he showed a year ago, when the 34-year-old walked away with the AL Cy Young Award, but he’s looking more like the leader of the rotation and the Yankees will need that to continue. go and he I take it.

“This is the best part of the year,” Cole said. “Last year I just tried to do the right thing for the team and keep going. This is the ultimate goal.”

Cole cruised through the first five-plus innings of Game 4 and held a three-run lead after not allowing a run.

That’s when the benches briefly cleared after a collision at second base between Kansas City’s Maikel Garcia and shortstop Anthony Volpe, when Garcia was forced to move to second and took exception on a shot to the neck by Volpe .

With no one on and two outs, Cole allowed a single to right by Bobby Witt Jr. and a run-scoring double from Vinnie Pasquantino to make it a two-run game and bring the Kauffman Stadium crowd to life.

Even worse, Salvador Perez stepped up to the plate.

But Cole stiffened and caused the catcher to pop out to second base to end the inning and preserve the lead.

It was part of a strong rebounding performance from Cole, who was hit hard in his start in Game 1, when he lasted just five-plus innings and was fortunate to allow four runs, three of them earned.

On Thursday, he retired the first six batters he faced and twelve of the first thirteen as the Yankees gradually built a 3-0 lead.

“I’m just blessed to be here,” Cole said. “We have to keep going.”