Inside The Pinstripes

Nestor Cortes' First Clunker of Season Ends His Historic Streak

Cortes allowed four earned runs on seven hits over 4.1 innings on Wednesday night, raising his ERA from 1.50 to 1.96 on the season.

Max Goodman

In this story:

MINNEAPOLIS — Nestor Cortes took the mound on Wednesday night at Target Field with a chance to match a franchise record that hasn't been touched in over a century.

If the left-hander allowed three earned runs or fewer, it would've been his 20th such start in a row, matching the record set by Russ Ford back in 1911.

Instead, Cortes permitted four earned runs over 4.1 frames, ending his remarkable streak while digging the Yankees into an early hole in an 8-1 loss to the Twins.

After retiring Minnesota's starting lineup in order through the first three innings, Cortes' night went south in the fourth. The lefty allowed two runs on five singles, including an RBI from ex-Yankees third baseman Gio Urshela. 

New York's left-hander went back out for the fifth, but only lasted a few batters. Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers began the inning with a solo home run that bounced off the third deck in left. After a strikeout (just his third of the game), Cortes served up another solo bomb, this one off the bat of star center fielder Byron Buxton.

This wasn't just the first clunker of the year for Cortes. The southpaw hasn't produced an outing like this since he solidified his spot in the starting rotation last summer. It's his first start with four earned runs allowed since August 10, 2021 in Kansas City.

Cortes' uncharacteristic performance comes one day after right-hander Jameson Taillon also struggled for the first time in 2022. Taillon gave up four earned runs on Tuesday night, the first time he's given up more than three in a game this season as well. 

The difference is that New York's offense was able to step up behind Taillon in the series opener, scoring 10 runs on 14 hits. On Wednesday, New York was completely shut down by starter Chris Archer and Minnesota's bullpen. Snapping their seven-game winning streak, the Yankees had just four hits, scoring only once. 

MORE:

Follow Max Goodman on Twitter (@MaxTGoodman), be sure to bookmark Inside The Pinstripes and check back daily for news, analysis and more.

Published
Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

Home/News