Nestor Cortes' Magical Season Ends With Injury and Frustration
NEW YORK — Considering what Nestor Cortes was able to accomplish this year, nothing felt unattainable while he was on the mound.
The left-hander had produced one of the best single seasons by a Yankees pitcher in franchise history, posting a 2.44 ERA over 28 regular season starts. Cortes was an All-Star, a 36th-round pick with a knack for the extraordinary, transforming into a folk hero on the game's biggest stage.
So, as Cortes hopped across the first-base line on Sunday night at Yankee Stadium, set to make his 31st start in 2022, it was hard to envision anything but a lights-out performance with the Yankees' season on the line. After all, Cortes had already delivered in an elimination game, earning his first postseason win in Game 5 of the American League Division Series, shoving for five frames while sending the Guardians home.
In the end, Cortes' body was responsible for the rapid deterioration of what had the makings to be another memorable appearance in pinstripes. Mix a compromised contortionist on the mound with the mighty Astros—an opportunist club that noshes on mistakes—and the left-hander's final outing was one of the only ones from this entire campaign that he wants to forget.
After two clean innings to begin Game 4 of the Championship Series, with New York one loss away from being swept, Cortes suddenly didn't look like himself. The southpaw's velocity had dipped significantly and the starter couldn't find the zone, walking both Martin Maldonado and Jose Altuve to begin the frame.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone and a trainer checked in on Cortes at one point. The southpaw stayed in the game, but wouldn't last much longer. Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña teed off on a cutter from Cortes in a 3-1 count with nobody out, sending a towering three-run home run into the seats in left field.
The cutter from Cortes was clocked at 82.1 mph. He averaged 86.9 mph on that pitch during the regular season.
"Felt like the first two innings were really good. I think if I would have continued to do that, I would have been fine," Cortes explained after what turned out to be a season-ending loss for New York. "The team would have been fine. Sucks I gave up the three-run homer in the third inning. It's kind of embarrassing that that happened."
Right after the home run, Boone called to the bullpen. Cortes was escorted off the mound with a trainer, a concerning conclusion to a start where New York needed effectiveness and length from their workhorse.
As it turns out, Cortes had been dealing with an injury for an extended period of time, something that can be traced back to his stint on the 15-day IL this summer.
Cortes missed a few starts with a left groin strain as the calendar flipped from August to September. The 27-year-old revealed on Sunday that his groin is still bothering him. At one point it was healed, but he reaggravated the injury during New York's postseason workouts at Yankee Stadium over the last few weeks.
"I didn't think too much of it," Cortes said. "Obviously I pitched through it, I competed I don't think it was enough to [put me on the IL]."
Cortes will undergo an MRI on his groin on Monday to assess the situation, seeing if he needs any additional attention this winter. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said the downtick in velocity was a major red flag, knowing what Cortes was already dealing with.
"We've been dealing with this on different levels for a couple month," Boone said. "He was fine [during our mound visit] and then obviously wasn't quite fine enough."
Cortes was charged with three earned runs over two-plus frames, all coming on the home run ball. He finished the playoffs with a 4.50 ERA (six earned runs in 12 innings pitched).
Sunday's loss was still fresh, but Cortes was able to take a look at the bigger picture, evaluating his season before heading home and officially kicking off his offseason.
"My year was great," Cortes said. "Obviously we didn't get to where we wanted to go. but on a personal level, I thought it was a pretty good year. Hopefully I can do that again next year. As far as the team, we wish we could have gone a little more."
MORE:
- Yankees' Josh Donaldson Doesn't 'Feel That Bad' With How He's Played in Postseason
- Aaron Judge Takes Responsibility For Harrison Bader's Costly Error in Game 3 of ALCS
- Yankees on Brink of Elimination After Another Lifeless ALCS Performance
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