NEW YORK -- Nestor Cortes Jr. was supposed to be a stopgap in the Yankees’ rotation, little more than a placeholder until Corey Kluber, Luis Severino and/or Domingo Germán return from their respective stays on the injured list.
Who knows when (or if) any of those three starters will be ready to reclaim their rotation spot, but whenever that day comes, the Yankees might think twice about replacing Cortes. The left-hander fired seven strong innings on Friday night, leading the Yankees to a 10-2 win over the Twins, extending New York’s season-high winning streak to eight games.
“It’s hard to imagine where we'd be without him,” manager Aaron Boone said.
Luke Voit went 4-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs, and Aaron Judge drilled a two-run homer, helping the Yankees jump out to a big lead for a second straight night as they pounced on rookie starter Charlie Barnes.
But while Jameson Taillon could not make it through the sixth on Thursday, Cortes battled through a rocky sixth before completing seven innings for the first time in his career. He matched his career high with seven strikeouts, fanning Andrelton Simmons on his 104th pitch -- another personal high -- to end his night.
“When you jump out like that, it's kind of refreshing to go out there and just be able to pump strikes and try and get quick outs,” Cortes said. “You want to keep the offense in attack [mode], so it's good to go out there and just throw strikes and be able to get outs.”
“He’s fearless out there,” said DJ LeMahieu, who tacked on a two-run homer in the eighth. “Guys like that, you just love playing behind them.”
Cortes made 33 appearances for the Yankees in 2019, and although he boasted a 5.67 ERA that season, he left a positive impression with Boone and his staff. The Yankees traded him to the Mariners for international bonus pool money that November, but he threw just 7 2/3 innings for Seattle in 2020 before becoming a free agent last fall.
Cortes inked a Minor League deal with the Yankees in December, though nobody could have predicted how crucial he would be to New York’s resurgence this season.
“He's been great,” Boone said. “I don't know if I necessarily envisioned him being the cornerstone right now in our rotation the way he's pitching, but you know we kind of fell in love with him in ’19, just with who he is, the way he competes and the kind of different look he gives you than most of the people you see. I think the difference between ‘19 and now is that he's a better pitcher -- better delivery, better command, crisper stuff.”
The Yankees have now won four of Cortes’ five starts since he moved into the rotation on July 28. He’s 2-1 with a 3.14 ERA in those games, helping stabilize the injury-ravaged staff.
But it’s not just Cortes’ sudden success that has made him a popular figure inside the clubhouse, where myriad teammates have been sporting “Nasty Nestor” T-shirts during batting practice.
Cortes’ move to the rotation has also removed him from the bullpen in the literal sense, allowing him a prime seat in the dugout on the four days between his starts. He has made his presence felt on those days, too.
“We could talk about what he's doing on the mound, what he's doing in the games on a consistent basis. … He's showing up every single game,” Judge said. “On the days he’s not pitching, he’s at the top step, cheering us on; he's involved in the game, he's locked in, he’s motivating guys, talking with guys. Little things like that, I think that’s why we’ve got the T-shirts and everyone's really [rallied] around him. He’s a great guy and a great teammate.”
The shirts feature a Super Mario-type of character throwing a fireball with his left hand, a nod to Cortes’ mustache, which bears a striking resemblance to that of the video-game icon.
“It's awesome,” Cortes said of the shirts. “I was saying to my friends, ‘When you get a shirt like that, it's like you finally made it.’ It's fun to wear those and have teammates around you that support you.”
Cortes had started 64 games over seven Minor League seasons prior to 2021, adding 20 in the Dominican Republic during winter ball. He had served as a jack of all trades for Boone’s Yankees since making his season debut on May 30, but his contributions during the past three-plus weeks have been a key to the club turning its season around. It remains to be seen what will happen if some of the injured arms begin to return, but Cortes doesn’t appear to be preoccupied by the possibilities.
“Having some success now, it feels good to actually start games and put your team in a good position to win,” Cortes said. “I'll take what I can get as long as I'm up here and we're winning games.”