By the time the Orioles had swung and missed at a Nestor Cortes pitch for the 19th time on Saturday afternoon, the final one accounting for his 12th strikeout of the day, the sold-out Yankee Stadium crowd gave the standout left-hander a standing ovation.
The next time he takes the mound will likely be for Game 2 of the ALDS, though Cortes has even made a strong case for Game 1.
Cortes was superb once again, tying a career-high with 12 strikeouts across 7 ¹/₃ shutout, one-hit innings to lead the Yankees to an 8-0 win over the Orioles in The Bronx.
“Going into today, I just wanted to give a strong showing to finish the regular season on a high note,” Cortes said. “There’s still more work to be done, but happy it ended this way.”
In his 28th and final start of the regular season, Cortes lowered his ERA to 2.44, which is the third-lowest by a Yankees pitcher since 1969 (with a minimum of 25 starts), trailing only Ron Guidry (1.74 in 1978) and Steve Kline (2.40 in 1972).
Cortes has been the Yankees’ most consistent starter this season, though manager Aaron Boone declined to say whether he could be an option to start Game 1 of the ALDS over Gerrit Cole.
“He’s been huge,” Boone said. “Understandably, the fan base loves him. He loves wearing the pinstripes and playing here and pitching here and performing here. It was a pretty neat ovation he received to finish off what’s been a great regular season for him. One of those guys that is really instrumental in us being in this situation right now.”
Cortes set the tone for his day by striking out the side in the first inning and allowed his only hit on a single with two outs in the fifth. He kept the Orioles off-balance with a strong pitch selection, mixing his four-seam fastball, slider, cutter, sinker and changeup.
Though Cortes has largely been dominant without needing his funky tricks, he mixed in one in the sixth inning Saturday. On an 0-2 count to Ryan Mountcastle, he hesitated in his delivery, dangling his right leg long enough that it got a rise out of the crowd before he threw his hardest pitch of the day, a 94 mph fastball for a strikeout.
“He’s one of the best in the game for a reason,” said Orioles rookie third baseman Gunnar Henderson, who struck out in all three of his at-bats against Cortes.
Then, after seven sharp innings, Boone gave Cortes the leadoff batter in the eighth — whom he struck out — in part so he could receive an ovation. The crowd of 45,428 showered love on the former 36th-round pick who bounced around multiple organizations and the minors before becoming an All-Star this season.
“Walking out was special,” Cortes said. “Obviously the fans know my trajectory to get here and what I’ve been through. So it’s really appreciated.”
— Additional reporting by Mark Cannizzaro