Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees' Nestor Cortes Exits Game 4 With Injury After Allowing Game-Tying Home Run

With the Yankees on the brink of elimination, it's up to the bullpen to keep New York in striking distance in Game 4.

Max Goodman

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NEW YORK — The Yankees lost both their three-run lead and their All-Star starter in the third inning of Game 4 of the American League Championship Series. 

With the score 3-0, after New York finally showed some life on offense in the first two frames, Nestor Cortes walked the first two batters of the third. 

At one point, Yankees manager Aaron Boone and a trainer visited the left-hander on the mound, checking in on a sudden injury concern.

The Yankees stuck with Cortes and immediately regretted it, watching as the southpaw gave up a towering three-run, game-tying home run to shortstop Jeremy Peña.

Immediately following the homer, Boone and the trainer returned to the mound, taking Cortes out of the game after a quick discussion. Cortes' velocity was down in the inning and the lefty didn't look right. 

The Yankees later announced that Cortes left the game with a left groin injury. Cortes missed a few starts this summer with a left groin strain, landing him on the 15-day injured list. 

With Cortes out of the picture, Boone summoned left-hander Wandy Peralta from the bullpen, one of his best relievers. Peralta proceeded to allow another run to score on three additional hits in the inning, allowing Houston to regain the lead and momentum.

Cortes leaving with an injury is a devastating blow for New York, both on Sunday night and for the rest of this series, if it continues. 

The Yankees' bullpen now needs to record 21 outs on Sunday night in order to save this team's season. Even then, if the Yankees stave off elimination, they'll have to deal with a thinned out bullpen for the rest of this series.

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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.

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