Amis' Cortes – “Couldn't get the job done” in World Series Game 1

LOS ANGELES – Yankees relievers Nestor Cortes and Tim Hill waited for their manager's signal in the visitors' bullpen at Dodger Stadium, tucked along the right field line, in the 10th inning on Friday night.

The two left-handers were instructed to warm up at the same time. Shohei Ohtani, the sport's best left-handed hitter, was at the door. One of them would face him and the ensuing gauntlet, trying to get the last two outs to preserve New York's one-run lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series. Both were ready. They just didn't know which manager Aaron Boone would choose.

Finally, Boone signaled to Cortes as he went to the mound to take the ball from Jake Cousins. Cortes, who had been sidelined since the end of the regular season with a flexor muscle strain, had not played in a game in 37 days. Suddenly he was thrown into the hottest fire.

He needed one pitch to knock Ohtani out of the game and pulled the Yankees to within one point of a win. Freddie Freeman threw Cortes' next pitch into the right-field pavilion for a walk-off grand slam that gave the Dodgers a 6-3 victory.

“I just liked the match,” Boone said when asked why he chose Cortes. “The reality is he's been throwing the ball really well the last few weeks as he's been preparing for this.”

Boone added that he preferred Cortes over groundball specialist Hill because Ohtani, a speedy runner, is unlikely to get caught in a double play. Thanks to Alex Verdugo's acrobatic catch as he hit a short wall and into the crowd along the left field line, Cortes made quick work of Ohtani, the presumptive National League MVP. However, because Verdugo fell into an out-of-play area, runners advanced to second and third base as per rule, leaving first base open.

Boone then intentionally chose to walk Mookie Betts, a former MVP, to load the bases and create a more favorable left-on-left matchup against Freeman, another former MVP.

“Yes and no,” Betts said when asked if he was surprised that he was being led around on purpose. “I mean, it makes sense. I was ready to go either way, but I definitely get it.”

Freeman was 1 for 3 with a double against Cortes – all in a matchup on June 8 this season – before entering the batter's box. Chasing a fastball, he caught one down and in at 92 mph and pounced.

“I looked at it as soon as I walked in,” Cortes said. “I got to the inside part of the plate, but I just couldn’t get high enough.”

Cortes' two pitches were his first since throwing six scoreless innings on September 18. A week later he was dropped from the start and placed on the injured list. He was shut down for 10 days and given a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection because he was unsure whether he would pitch again in 2024. The Yankees would have to make a deep postseason run to have a chance.

The Yankees did their part, winning the American League pennant, and after Cortes pitched a 28-pitch live bullpen session without trouble at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, he was added to the World Series roster as a reliever. He understood that he was taking a risk by putting in the effort. Flexor muscle strains often lead to serious elbow injuries. As a free agent after next year, Cortes could cost himself millions of dollars if he were to suffer a significant setback.

“I told them from the beginning that I just don’t want to be on this roster because it’s the World Series,” Cortes said before the game. “I want to contribute and make sure that when I’m out there, I give it my best and as close to 100 percent as possible.”

Cortes said he “felt better than expected” while warming up in the bullpen. His fastball velocity, 88 to 90 mph in his live bullpen sessions, jumped a few ticks on the radar. Adrenaline coursed through him. He had been working towards this moment. He waited for it for weeks, right up to his manager's signal on Friday evening, and it ended in astonishing disappointment.

“It just sucks,” Cortes said. “I couldn’t come through for the boys. I know everyone has been focused on Ohtani, Ohtani, Ohtani. We'll get him out, but Freeman is a really good hitter too. I just couldn’t get the job done today.”