NEW YORK — It’s been a year of firsts for Yankees’ lefty Nestor Cortes. He made his first All-Star team. He crossed the 100-inning threshold for the first time, then 125, then 150 before ending the regular season with 158 1/3 star-making innings. On Friday, he also made his first-ever postseason start, holding Cleveland to two runs in five innings during a game the Yankees eventually lost.
With the help of Monday’s rain washing out Game 5′s original schedule, the Yankees felt comfortable handing the ball to Cortes on three days’ rest for the rescheduled Game 5 on Tuesday afternoon. It’s a remarkable story for someone who was designated for assignment by the Orioles in 2018 and had a devilish 6.66 ERA across the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
Those 2018 Orioles were the worst team in baseball at the time, and even they didn’t want him. Four years later, Cortes has transformed himself into a pitcher that can be counted on for not only a winner-take-all game but one for the sport’s most scrutinized teams at the pressure cooker that is Yankee Stadium. With Game 5 getting moved back by about 20 hours, Cortes became manager Aaron Boone’s preferred choice to get through the Guardians’ lineup at the beginning of the game. Had the Yankees and Guardians been able to play on Monday, it’s possible that Cortes would have emerged from the bullpen at some point to try and carry the Yankees to Houston.
