Then 11, Cole was caught on camera holding up that message in the seats at Game 6 of the 2001 World Series in Phoenix. The lettering of the tape he used has faded from blue to tan in the years since.

He spurned the Yankees when they drafted him 28th overall in 2008, choosing to enroll at UCLA. He signed with Pittsburgh three years later after he was selected first overall. Now as a free agent, he finally was fitted for pinstripes. Financial terms were not disclosed when the Yankees announced the nine-year contract with a player opt-out after the 2024 season, but ESPN's Jeff Passan has reported the value of the deal is $324 million, a record amount for a pitcher in both its total and its average annual value of $36 million.
"It was my dream. I had a second opportunity to chase it," he said.