Did Boone Make the Right Call with Cortes?

Nestor Cortes is known for his courage on the field. Even before he expressed his willingness to risk next season for a championship, everyone recognized his bravery. However, bravado isn’t always enough. In a critical game moment during the World Series, Yankees manager Aaron Boone decided to put his faith in Cortes. He chose Cortes to pitch to Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman in the 10th inning, with the game on the line. While this show of trust wasn’t entirely surprising, it was a risky move. Cortes had not pitched in over five weeks. This was a significant concern for some scouts. They felt that someone who had not been actively pitching and lacked a high-velocity fastball should not be thrown into such a high-stakes situation.

Tim Hill, ready and performing well during the postseason, seemed like the better choice. He had allowed just one run in 5 ²/₃ innings in October. “You can’t just put someone in there who hasn’t pitched in weeks and is a starting pitcher without a high-velocity fastball, ” one scout noted after Cortes gave up the game-winning grand slam to Freeman in the Yankees’ 6-3 loss to the Dodgers in Game 1. Boone defended his decision, saying he liked the matchup and that Cortes had been pitching well in preparation for the game. Cortes also expressed his confidence, but sometimes, courage and confidence aren’t enough to win the game. Despite the decision, no one in the Yankees clubhouse questioned Boone’s choice. They trusted his judgment.

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