In 2022, the once-forgotten Yankees were dominant.
When even his Yankees rotation mate and staff ace Gerrit Cole feels Nestor Cortes should be the favorite to win the AL Cy Young Award in 2022, you know he’s extraordinary. And what a great honor for the lefty Cortes, who was a Yankee before this outburst.
That’s correct. Cortes spent 2019 with the Bronx Bombers, pitching to a 5.67 ERA in 66.2 innings, mostly out of the bullpen. However, no one recalls this.
Fans of the Bronx Bombers will remember Cortes now that he’s essentially become the ace of a very excellent starting rotation. With his video game-like numbers on the mound this season, he’s even breaking franchise history.
Nestor Cortes of the New York Yankees will make franchise history in 2022
In ten starts, he had a 1.50 ERA and 68 strikeouts. That’s nasty (Nestor), and he’s the only Yankee with those numbers over the course of the franchise’s century and a half.
At the time, Cortes’ ERA was 1.70 entering his start against the Angels on Thursday, despite the fearsome lineup. He lowered his ERA to 1.50 after shutting out the Los Angeles Angels for seven innings at Yankee Stadium.
Cortes isn’t making history on the mound with high-octane fastballs or a commanding presence. Instead, he relies on deception and movement, both of which worked well for the lefty in 2022. And, of course, there’s that distinctive mustache. Cortes is so well-known, in fact, that announcers have given him nicknames!
This season, the Yankees have been a force, and Cortes has surely contributed to that success. The Bronx Bombers might be headed somewhere in 2022 if he and Gerrit Cole are partnered together, along with a healthy Luis Severino and perhaps a pitcher not yet with New York.
Next, Josh Donaldson is pissed that the Yankees didn’t back him up after the Tim Anderson scandal.
It will be interesting to see if Cortes and his unbelievable story can help his team make the playoffs for the rest of the season.
