The New York Yankees have advanced to the ALCS after defeating the Kansas City Royals in Game 4 of the ALDS by a score of 3-1 on Thursday.

The hero of Game 4 was Gerrit Cole. The Yankees’ ace pitched 7 fantastic innings, allowing just 1 earned run on 6 hits, 0 walks, and 4 strikeouts. It was the exact type of performance that the Yankees could have hoped for from Cole in the postseason and justifies every cent New York has paid him to this point.

Yankees slugger Aaron Judge also recorded his second hit of the series when he smacked a double off Lucas Erceg in the sixth inning.

New York fans may have forgotten that the Yankees’ 2023 season ended in Kansas City, if only because they wanted to erase the 2023 season out of their heads, given that the Yankees didn’t make the playoffs.

But after Thursday’s game, Judge spoke about how concluding New York’s previous season at Kauffman Stadium served as added motivation when returning there in these playoffs.

“I think what fuels us more is our ’23 season ended here. Our season ended, no postseason, no playoff, no nothing,” Judge said to the media, per SNY. “Just go home and get ready for the next season.

“So I think a lot of guys took that to heart. There’s a video out there, there’s quite a few guys sitting in the dugout, just kind of watching the field, just kind of soaking it all in. And I think that’s what fueled a lot of guys to go out there and say ‘Hey, I don’t want to have this feeling again,'” he added.

The Yankees certainly not have that same feeling during their final game in Kauffman Stadium this season.