Yankees top pitcher makes harsh comments about how the team is using him.
The Yankees won and threw a shutout on Saturday, but left-hander Nestor Cortes was unhappy afterwards.
The New York Yankees pitched a shutout against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, their second in as many days. With the victory, the Yankees improve to 82-60. They lead the Baltimore Orioles by 0.5 games in the American League East and are vying for the division championship.
You’d think everything were fine in the Bronx, but they aren’t. Nestor Cortes, a left-hander, earned the win by throwing 4.1 innings in relief of Clarke Schmidt, allowing no hits. Cortes is now 9-10 on the season with a 3.97 ERA, but he was not pleased with coming out of the bullpen, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com:
Nestor Cortes was not pleased with being moved to the bullpen this turn through.
“Obviously, I was upset. I feel like amongst all the starters, I’ve been the workhorse here,” Cortes said. “Once [Gerrit] Cole went down, they picked me to be the Opening Day starter; not necessarily the No. 1, but the Opening Day starter. I had to switch my routine there, and now they do this.
“I’m never going to back down from a challenge, I’m never going to leave my teammates out to dry. You’re always going to get my best effort, no matter if I’m happy or not. That’s what I did today. I just came out there and proved that I can be put in any situation, and from here on out, if that’s what’s my role, then I’ll accept it.”
On the one hand, you enjoy the competitive fire, which is definitely a motivator for Cortes – and it worked on Saturday. On the other hand, it appears extremely selfish for a squad with great aspirations this season.
Cortes is correct, though: He has been a workaholic since joining the Yankees. Since arriving in New York in 2021, the 29-year-old has a 33-20 record with a 3.67 ERA. This season, he has also pitched a career-high 163.1 innings. He won 12 games in 2022 and made the American League All-Star team.
The Yankees will conclude the series against the Cubs on Sunday at 2:20 p.m. ET.
