Willing to sacrifice elbow to pitch in World Series, Cortes gives up game-winning grand slam

LOS ANGELES -- Nestor Cortes was truthful happy to scope nan World Series, he was consenting to sacrifice his elbow and possibly millions of dollars.

He coiled up blowing a 10th-inning lead for nan New York Yankees successful Game 1.

“It was correct location connected our fingertips,” Cortes lamented.

Freddie Freeman deed nan first walk-off expansive slam successful Series history, a two-out thrust disconnected Cortes that lifted nan Los Angeles Dodgers to a 6-3 victory connected Friday night.

“Walking successful here, I didn’t consciousness sorry for myself astatine all. I felt much like, letting my squad down," Cortes said.

Nicknamed Nasty Nestor and nan Hialeah Kid, nan 29-year-old left-hander stood astatine his locker stall for astir a twelve minutes answering questions astir his two-pitch outing, his first aft a 37-day layoff.

Cortes had been sidelined since Sept. 18 because of a flexor strain successful his pitching elbow. He missed nan AL Division Series and League Championship Series but healed capable to beryllium added to nan progressive roster 7 hours earlier gametime. He had felt much tense watching nan earlier rounds of nan postseason than pitching successful nan World Series.

“You person nary power complete what’s happening successful nan game, and astatine that infinitesimal I had power of what I was doing,” he said.

A 2022 All-Star eligible for free agency aft nan 2025 season, Cortes was consenting to consequence a semipermanent wounded for nan chance to transportation connected baseball's grandest stage.

“If I person a ringing and past a twelvemonth disconnected of baseball, past truthful beryllium it,” he said Tuesday.

New York took a 3-2 lead connected Anthony Volpe's RBI grounder successful nan 10th, and Cortes warmed up successful nan bullpen alongside chap left-hander Tim Hill.

Jake Cousins walked Gavin Lux pinch 1 retired successful nan bottommost half and Tommy Edman singled nether nan mitt of diving 2nd baseman Oswaldo Cabrera, bringing up Shohei Ohtani.

Yankees head Aaron Boone signaled for Cortes by raising his limb — if he put his manus retired low, it would person been a cue for nan side-arming Hill.

“The adrenaline unreserved is amazing,” Cortes said.

He started Ohtani pinch a 92.4 mph fastball, precocious mediate and in. The apt NL MVP sliced an opposite-field foul down nan left-field statement that Alex Verdugo snagged connected nan tally conscionable earlier he deed nan debased retaining wall and tumbled caput complete heels into nan stands, allowing nan runners to move up because it became a dormant ball.

Mookie Betts was intentionally walked, bringing up Freeman.

“Just taking nan left-on-left matchup there,” Boone said.

Cortes knew location was still 1 large retired to get.

“I cognize everybody’s focused connected Ohtani, Ohtani, Ohtani, and we get him out. But Freeman is besides a really bully hitter," Cortes said.

He threw a 92.5 mph fastball that Freeman launched 409 feet into nan right-field pavilion, a no-doubt thrust that sent nan crowd of 52,394 jumping to nan constituent nan stadium shook. Cortes had aimed nan transportation 2 aliases 3 inches higher.

“I thought it sewage to nan wrong portion of nan sheet wherever I wanted to, but didn’t get it conscionable up enough,” he said. “Right disconnected nan manus it looked OK, but conscionable didn’t get it precocious enough.”

Cortes turned, craned his cervix somewhat arsenic he leaned and started stepping to nan first guidelines dugout, shaking his caput successful disbelief.

“If I make my transportation there, evidently it's a different result,” he said. “Didn’t enactment connected nan section conscionable agelong capable to deliberation astir it aliases spot him tally nan bases. Just walked successful and benignant of turned nan page correct location and past sewage my workout in. Ready for tomorrow again.”

Some family and friends had tried to seduce him not to travel backmost this year, to prioritize his elbow.

“This is what nan dream is made of. You turn up playing baseball, watching shot and surviving for October and we’re present now,” Cortes said. “A bunch of group evidently sewage successful my receptor and gave maine immoderate proposal — I wouldn't opportunity not do it but gave maine immoderate advice, nan pros and cons of what nan business could person been. But astatine nan extremity of nan time it’s my career, my decision, and I thought that this is nan champion for me.”

He remembered backmost to nan past walk-off homer he allowed, to Rochester's Luis García Jr. while pitching for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre connected May 20, 2021.

“You don't hide those,” Cortes said.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb