#Unbeaten Gerrit Cole believes he has more to give Yankees

Here is something that is sure to make opposing hitters groan.

Gerrit Cole and Aaron Boone believe the Yankees’ ace can be better than he has been through the first five starts of his career in The Bronx.

Considering Cole is 4-0 with a 2.76 ERA, has allowed 20 hits and fanned 34 in 29¹/₃ innings and the Yankees are 5-0 in his starts, he has lived up to the very early portion of the nine-year deal for $324 million he signed last offseason.

Still, Cole’s quest to improve matches his unquenchable thirst for information.

“I think there is room for improvement, still. Fine-tuning at this point but we are always trying to get better,’’ Cole said Tuesday, a day ahead of his start against the Rays at Yankee Stadium.

With his fastball pushing speed guns into the high 90s and the slider crisp enough to make J.D. Martinez look ill this past weekend in Cole’s last start, Cole is looking to tighten up another area.

“I guess command,’’ Cole said when asked if there was something particular he could fine-tune. “I could be a little bit better inside and outside the zone when I want to. I just feel eliminating some of the pitches that I wasn’t quite happy with. There wasn’t a whole lot but there is a little bit of room there.’’

Cole’s only no-decision in five outings came against the Rays at Tropicana Field in the first game of a doubleheader on Aug. 8, which the Yankees won, 8-4. Cole went 4 ²/₃ innings and exited after Jose Martinez hit a two-run homer to highlight a three-run frame that cut the Yankees’ lead to 5-3. Still, Cole fanned 10 and issued one walk.

According to Boone, Cole will be forever searching for avenues to improve because that is another tool to go with the high-octane fastball, knee-buckling slider and a thirst for information.

“I think he is always digging and like we see with greatness all the time, you are never really satisfied, you are always trying to improve where you can on the margins,’’ Boone said before the Yankees’ 6-3 loss to the Rays. “And I think Gerrit is always diving into that.’’

When you hand an athlete that much money you hope he delivers brilliance first, but secretly an owner wants a presence in the clubhouse, somebody who cares and is not afraid to help others. According to Boone, Hal Steinbrenner got the entire package.

“What is really showing up to me is, for being a superstar player in our game, how much he cares about the individuals on the team and their success and doing his part helping them be successful,” Boone said. “He has been a really good teammate on top of obviously being a dominant pitcher.’’

One who doesn’t remain married to the game plan in place before the first pitch is thrown.

“I have played [on teams] with veteran lineups and listen to guys talk about switching the game plan in the middle of the game and try to get ahead of the opposition in terms of trying to look for certain pitches or try to decipher some sort of approach,’’ Cole said. “So, being aware of that, being aware not only an entire lineup but individual hitters and which direction they are going throughout the game is important. I always find that information helps me make a more clear decision when push comes to shove and you need to pick one pitch or another.’’

Cole has pushed and shoved hitters in five starts but believes there is more to come, which certainly isn’t music to hitters’ ears because up to now, the 29-year-old right-hander has been everything Steinbrenner could have wished for when he wrote the check.

And if Cole and Boone are correct, there is more on the way.