Néstor Cortés has had a very productive career so far. In his eight years on the grand stage primarily as a starter the Cuban left-hander has a 33-22 record, 3.92 ERA and 577 strikeouts in 570 innings pitched with the Yankees and Brewers.
His herky jerky delivery and unorthodox pitching angles give MLB batters the fits when they step into the batters box. At times he even mirrors the delivery of Cuban great Luis Tiant. With a deceptively hard fastball from the left side and a litany of pitches from different angles Cortés is a very uncomfortable matchup for many batters.
The colleague John Sang caught up with the hurler prior to Saturday’s start against his ex-team the Yankees in the Bronx and touched base with Cortés about a few topics, including his relationship with Yankees backup catcher JC Escarra.
Nestor you are returning once again to Yankee Stadium, but this time in a Milwaukee uniform. How does that make you feel?
I’m happy to be here. I had a lot of good memories when I was with the Yankees, but this is a new chapter for me. I have to keep going and keep fighting. I have mixed feelings, coming to New York with to make my first start of the season. Yeah, amazing how life works, right? I got traded in December, and when I look at the schedule, the first team we face is the Yankees. Glad to be here, super happy. Lots of emotions, but like I said, they all good.
We know it’s a business, but after all that time with the Yankees, who you were in a World Series with last year and after so many years, what went through your mind when you found out about the trade?
I knew something was going to happen. I didn’t know which player it would be, but I knew a trade was coming. We had a lot of starters, obviously a lot of starters at different stages in their careers, and I was the one they decided to move.
How was spring training with your new team?
Yes, everything went well. I loved the chemistry we’ve had. It’s a competitive team, a team that makes the playoffs almost every year. When we get to spring training, the goal is to make the playoffs and try to go as far as we can.
With all your experience as a starter, what has the manager told you? What spot will be in the Milwaukee Brewers’ rotation?
I’m starting Game 2 of this series.
Anything motivation having to going against the Yankees?
No, I’m going to treat it like any other team. Obviously, I know a lot about them; they know me there. It’s going to be a bit difficult, but we’ll see who comes out on top.
We saw you and JC Escarra hug each other. How do you know each other?
We both played together growing up in travel ball, in different tournaments. We know each other very well. I know his parents, he knows my parents. We bonded when we played together. Obviously, our careers paths were different, but we’re here now, and I’m super, super happy for him and his family.
Being from the same place as JC and basically having the same story, what goes through your mind when you see one of your own make it?
Yeah, like I said, I’m really happy, really happy for him. I spent all of spring training checking in on him. I knew he had a chance to make the team, and I stayed in touch with him and Aaron Boone, asking him if he was going to make the team, and he always told me he had a good chance. And now that he’s here, I hugged him and told him good luck and wished him all the best.