NEW YORK — This winter, Nestor Cortes called pitching coach Matt Blake, just to check and make sure he had a spot on the big league roster. A 38th-round draft pick who has had to earn every start and promotion in his career, Cortes didn’t want to leave anything to chance.
And Saturday, he made sure that the Yankees have him in their plans for big spots in the playoffs. While the packed Yankee Stadium hoped to see Aaron Judge hit a historic 62nd home run of the season, they were instead treated to yet another brilliant start by Cortes. He struck out a dozen and allowed just one hit as the Yankees rolled over the Orioles, 8-0.
The Yankees (97-60) won their 10th game out of their last 12. It was their 16th shutout of the season.
