Look: Gerrit Cole Brings Back 2001 World Series Sign at Yankees Introduction

During Wednesday's introductory press conference, newly signed New York Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole proved that he has always been a fan of the Bronx Bombers.

In a heartfelt moment, Cole showed off a sign he made as a kid for the 2001 World Series that read: "Yankee fan. Today. Tomorrow. Forever."

On December 11, Bill Perlman of Newsday wrote about a photo from Game 6 of the 2001 World Series showing the 11-year-old Cole holding the sign.

When showing off the sign Wednesday, Cole added, "I've always been here."

Cole has long been open about his Yankees fandom, and it was one of the main reasons there was some belief they would be able to sign him over the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels, who are located much closer to his hometown of Santa Ana, California.

The Yankees originally selected Cole in the first round of the 2008 MLB draft out of high school, but he attended UCLA instead. Three years later, the Pittsburgh Pirates took him No. 1 overall.

After five productive seasons in Pittsburgh, Cole was traded to the Houston Astros prior to the 2018 season. He became arguably the most dominant starter in baseball as a member of the Astros and is coming off a 2019 campaign that saw him go 20-5 with a league-leading 2.50 ERA and 326 strikeouts.

That helped Cole land a nine-year, $324 million contract with the Yankees, thus ending the organization's years-long pursuit of the talented ace.

With Cole now in the fold, the Yankees are favored to win the 2020 World Series, and Cole has a chance to accomplish a lifelong dream by bringing the organization its 28th world championship.