Nestor Cortes sends clear message about World Series walk-off grand slam after defeat

The New York Yankees suffered a heartbreaking 6-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday.

New York took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the tenth inning when reliever Jake Cousins ​​was on the mound. Cousins ​​then recorded a flyout for the first out of the inning, walked the next batter and then the third batter reached on an infield single.

That's when Japanese superstar and projected 2024 NL MVP Shohei Ohtani came to bat. Yankees manager Aaron Boone had two left-handers (Tim Hill and Nestor Cortes) warmed up in the bullpen to face the left-handed Ohtani, and ultimately chose Cortes – who hadn't played a game since September 25.

Cortes got Ohtani to fly out on the first pitch as the Dodgers' runners moved to second and third. The Yankees then intentionally walked Mookie Betts to bring Freddie Freeman to the plate with the bases loaded.

Cortes threw a first-pitch fastball that Freeman threw into the right-field stands for a walk-off grand slam.

In an Oct. 26 article by The Athletic's Tyler Kepner, Cortes was quoted in his postgame speech as saying, “[I] “Honestly, it felt better than expected,” about his return from injury.

“The pitch in the bullpen was really encouraging before they called my name. And when I came in I had all the confidence in the world,” Cortes continued.

Lefties hit just .202 against Cortes with just two home runs during the regular season. But in postseason situations like these, regular season stats can often be ignored.

“I know (Freeman) would be aggressive,” Cortes said, according to Kepner’s article. “That’s why I wanted it to be higher. I just couldn't get it done. At first glance it looked okay, but it just wasn’t high enough.”

The Yankees will try to tie the World Series in one game each against Los Angeles on Saturday night.