Nestor Cortes Jr. heroics Gerrit Cole news make for encouraging night for Yankees.
Even before New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole went down with an elbow injury in spring training and Opening Day starter Nestor Cortes Jr. allowed multiple runs in the first inning of his initial two starts, the starting rotation was a concern.
But after beating the Miami Marlins on Monday behind eight shutout innings from Cortes Jr. and a successful first round of catch for Cole, per Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News, Yankee fans should finally feel optimistic.
Boone said Cortes Jr. made a commitment to what was necessary in order to become a better version of himself.
“He’s now had extended success in this league as a starter, he just couldn’t recover last year. Or he would have a decent start but run out of gas. So the biggest thing for him has been selling out and committing to the things he really needed to do, starting in the back half of last year.”
Cortes Jr. was a key part of the Yankees rotation and one of the most fun pitchers in baseball in 2021 and 2022, making the All-Star game and recording a 2.44 ERA in his first season as an established starter in 2022.
But injuries derailed his 2023 campaign, starting with a hamstring problem that forced him out of the World Baseball Classic and limited him to just 12 starts.
Cole, the reigning Cy Young winner in the American League, scared all Yankee fans with the news he’d be shut down to have his elbow looked at.
Between this injury news and the uncertainty surrounding the effectiveness of Cortes Jr. and fellow starter Carlos Rodon, many wanted General Manager Brian Cashman to acquire another high-end arm.
He didn’t, but the early returns on the rotation have been solid.
