Inside The Pinstripes

Matt Blake: Nestor Cortes Was Worried About Making Yankees Roster

The Yankees pitcher has been dominating since last year, but he didn’t take his job for granted over the winter.

Gary Phillips

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Such a scene seems comical now, but there was a point during the offseason when Nestor Cortes had to call his pitching coach in search of reassurance.

So the contorting southpaw reached out to Matt Blake with a simple question. Cortes wanted to know if Blake thought he had an “outside chance” of making the Yankees’ roster in 2022.

“I was like, ‘I think you got a shot at making the team. We’ll see where it ends up,’’’ Blake said Monday, recounting the anecdote while trying to hold back laughter. “It’s just part of who he’s been, kind of just always the underdog and always kind of fighting for a job. It’s probably part of what makes him really good. He’s always hungry to get better.”

That conversation happened after Cortes broke out in 2021, recording a 2.90 ERA over 22 games, including 14 starts. As for the timing of Blake’s storytelling session? That came shortly after Cortes befuddled the Rangers on Monday, carrying a no-hit bid into the eighth inning. Cortes ultimately threw 7.1 scoreless innings in his sixth start of the season. He allowed one hit and four walks while striking out 11 over 103 pitches. The 27-year-old lowered his ERA to 1.41, and the Yankees won, 1-0.

Cortes has been nothing short of a revelation since last season, in addition to a fan favorite thanks to his unique personality and machinations on the mound. But he is a former 36th-round draft pick and Rule 5 draft returnee. The Yankees are his third team, and he’s on his third stint with them.

Job security hasn’t exactly been a theme throughout Cortes’s career, hence the offseason call to Blake. But the pitcher is getting used to the concept.

“I think he’s coming to terms with that, that he’s a major league pitcher,” said Blake, who always thought Cortes had a place on this roster. “He deserves to go out there and pitch every five days.”

Aaron Boone said much of the same following Cortes’s nearly historic performance. The Yankees manager was asked about Cortes not necessarily being guaranteed a spot in the rotation heading into spring training this year, to which Boone replied, “He was guaranteed a spot in my rotation.”

“I’m not surprised at all by this,” Boone continued. “Now, if we go back 14 months, maybe I’m surprised that he’s this dominant and this kind of staple in our rotation. But going to spring training? Not at all.

“He was this guy last year in our rotation, so I’m not surprised that he’s continued it.”

Like mostly everyone else, Boone’s realization that Cortes truly belonged came last year.

Cortes had never enjoyed major league success up to that point. He had a cup of coffee with the Orioles in 2018 before being returned and then posed a 5.67 ERA in 33 games with the Yankees in 2019. New York shipped him to Seattle the following offseason. He allowed 13 earned runs over 7.2 innings in 2020. He rejoined the Yankees on a minor league deal before the 2021 season. It was around then that Cortes began to figure things out.

"'18, '19 and '20 were pretty rough on me,” he said. “After ’20, I discovered some stuff on my pitches. I knew what I had to be and what I had to do maintain that level. Last year, I broke out with it, and I'm going to run with it."

Cortes credits his rise to his sneaky fastball, the implementation of a devastating cutter, pinpoint location and a slight bump in velocity. Cortes throws about two miles per hour harder than he did two years ago – though he only averages around 90.5 on the gun – and his spin rates have increased across the board.

His arsenal has improved, as has the way he uses it.

“Over time, he’s grown in his role and understood what his strengths are and kind of amplified them a little bit,” Blake said. “He’s gotten in better shape, he’s thrown a little harder. He understands his profiles a little more and his attack plans just get tighter and tighter as he goes.”

If there was ever any doubt, it’s clear that the Yankees coaching staff has the utmost confidence in Cortes. And yet, he still reflects on his performance like a guy who’s just enjoying a ride that could end abruptly.

"I've been playing baseball since I was four. I feel like that’s the only thing I know how to do,” Cortes said when asked if he ever thought about walking away from baseball. “I came out of high school. I don't have anything to fall back on, so I was gonna ride this as long as I could.

“Thankfully, it started clicking last year, and hopefully I can continue to do it."

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Gary Phillips
GARY PHILLIPS

A graduate of Seton Hall, Gary Phillips has written and/or edited for The Athletic, The New York Times, Sporting News, USA Today Sports’ Jets Wire, Bleacher Report and Yankees Magazine, among others. He can be reached at garyhphillips@outlook.com.

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