Nestor Cortes Says Jim Kaat Apologized for His Comment but ‘He Didn’t Need to’

Yankees pitcher Nester Cortes Jr. said Friday that Twins broadcaster Jim Kaat apologized for referring to Cortes as “Nestor the Molestor” during the Twins-Tigers game on Thursday.

However, the pitcher wrote in a statement on social media saying that Kaat “didn’t need to.”

“Jim Kaat has spent an entire lifetime in this game we love,” Cortes said. “He reached out to me and apologized for his remark last night, but he didn’t need to. We all make mistakes and feel 100% there was no malice intended. I plan on lifting him up with this tweet and I hope others do too. No sweat here Jim!”

During Bally Sports North’s broadcast of Thursday’s game, Twins pitcher Chris Archer had struck out Tigers star Miguel Cabrera. That is when the longtime broadcaster made his comment about Cortes being one of his favorite pitchers.

“Nestor the Molester,’ Nestor Cortes,” Kaat said. “Angles and different speeds. He’s a pitcher.” Cortes pitched seven shutout innings in the Yankees’ 6–1 victory against the Angels that same day.

Last October, Kaat also made an insensitive comment about White Sox third baseman Yoán Moncada during Game 2 of the American League Division Series.

When Moncada stepped to the plate in the first inning of the game against the Astros, Kaat and Buck Showalter discussed Moncada’s capability.

Showalter asked, “Can we have one of those” when he saw Moncada. Kaat, then said, “Get a 40-acre field full of them.”

The phrase upset some viewers, whom it reminded of the U.S. government’s promise to give freed slaves 40 acres of land after the Civil War. Kaat, however, went on to apologize for his comment toward Moncada in the fifth inning of that game.

“I want to add a little break here,” Kaat said. “In fact, I need to read this right now, because earlier in the game when Yoán Moncada was at the plate in an attempt to compliment the great player, I used a poor choice of words that resulted in a sensitive, hurtful remark. And I'm sorry.”

Before Kaat began days in the broadcast booth, the Hall of Fame pitcher spent 15 of his 25 MLB seasons pitching for the Twins.