ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post before covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024.
NEW YORK — Nestor Cortes was slated to start Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles as the New York Yankees look to clinch the AL East title with a win. Instead, the left-hander was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left elbow flexor strain, retroactive to Sunday.
The development ensures Cortes will not be available for the start of the American League Division Series on Oct. 5.
The Yankees will turn to Marcus Stroman, who recently shifted to the bullpen, to start in Cortes’ place Wednesday. Stroman last pitched eight days ago, throwing three innings in his first and only relief appearance this season.
The Yankees also recalled Cody Poteet, who was recently activated from the 60-day injured list and sent to Triple-A.
Cortes underwent an MRI exam Wednesday, according to two people with knowledge of the situation. Cortes’ recent performance did not suggest he has been dealing with any elbow trouble. Beginning with a brief demotion to reliever, Cortes has given up one run with 18 strikeouts in 15⅓ innings over his past three outings.
The stretch began with Cortes tossing 4⅓ hitless innings in his first relief appearance of the season against the Chicago Cubs — and afterward sharing his frustration with moving to the bullpen. He returned to the rotation five days later, limiting the Boston Red Sox to one run with nine strikeouts across five innings. On Sept. 18, he held the Seattle Mariners to four hits over six scoreless innings.
Cortes, 29, has a 3.77 ERA across a team-leading 174⅓ innings pitched. He has made 30 starts but is expected to return to the bullpen for the playoffs.
The Yankees have, for the most part, benefited from good injury luck in recent weeks. Clarke Schmidt, Anthony Rizzo, Jon Berti, Ian Hamilton and Luis Gil also have been reinstated from the injured list since Sept. 1. The reinforcements made the Yankees more whole than just about any other club in baseball.
It also gave the Yankees a problem teams would love to have down the stretch: Six healthy capable starting pitchers for five spots. The surplus prompted the Yankees to move Cortes to the bullpen for one rotation turn before switching Stroman with him for the past two turns.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Jimbo Fisher was brought to tears while returning to Florida State‘s campus for the first time since resigning to take the Texas A&M coaching job in 2017.
Fisher, now an ACC Network analyst, was wildly cheered at the start of the network’s pregame show outside Doak Campbell Stadium. He turned in his chair, did the tomahawk chop to the crowd of garnet-clad fans and started to cry.
“Brings tears to my eyes,” Fisher said. “Remember your family growing up here and hearing that chant. When you heard it, something to it.
“The players, the memories. It’s Miami week.”
Fisher moved back to Tallahassee after Texas A&M fired him in 2023. But he hadn’t stepped foot on campus until his job brought him back.
Fisher coached at Florida State for 10 years (2007-17), first as an offensive coordinator and then as head-coach-in-waiting before taking over for legend Bobby Bowden in January 2010. He won a national title in 2013 in the middle of a three-year run of capturing ACC championships.
He was hired in July as an analyst with ACC Network.
“I always loved Florida State,” Fisher said Friday while meeting with reporters. “Florida State was home. It’s very surreal. I got butterflies. The antsy in your stomach of coming back because it meant so much to you.”
Fisher predicted Florida State would beat Miami on a “wide middle” field goal attempt.
CINCINNATI — Brendan Sorsby passed for 214 yards and two touchdowns, Evan Pryor ran for 111 yards and two TDs and Cincinnati used a 17-point first quarter to beat No. 14 Iowa State 38-30 on Saturday.
The Bearcats (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) beat a ranked opponent at home for the first time since beating No. 16 Houston 35-20 on Dec. 4, 2021.
The Cyclones (5-1, 2-1) trailed 31-7 with 1:08 left in the second quarter before rallying to get within eight with 1:56 left in the game. Cincinnati recovered an onside kick to end the threat.
“It’s a different team,” Bearcats coach Scott Satterfield said, simply, when asked the difference between last year’s 5-7 team and this year’s roster. “It’s different players.”
Rocco Becht passed for 314 yards and two touchdowns and ran another two in for the Cyclones.
Sorsby’s 82-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Goodie in the fourth quarter was the Bearcats’ longest pass play since 2015.
Iowa State, one of the least penalized teams in the country, had five penalties for 35 yards in the first half. The Cyclones jumped offside on third down to extend the Bearcats’ opening drive, which led to a 30-yard TD run from Pryor for the game’s first score.
The Cyclones went on to take a 17-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Becht got the Cyclones on the board early in the second on a 14-yard run.
Becht scored on a 4-yard run on the final play of the half and then threw an 11-yard TD pass to Brett Eskildsen on the opening drive in the third quarter.
“Rocco Becht is a dang warrior. You keep looking up and he continues to make plays,” Bearcats coach Scott Satterfield said. “That is a huge win for us as we went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the Big 12 over the last few seasons.”
The Cyclones were without 16 injured players, including all-Big 12 defensive backs Jeremiah Cooper and Jontez Williams. They also were without their top two kickers.
PITTSBURGH — Surprise starter Mason Heintschel threw for four touchdowns and led Pittsburgh to five first-half scores during a 48-7 win against Boston College on Saturday.
Heintschel, 18, a true freshman, made his first career start for Pitt (1-1, 3-2 ACC) in place of redshirt sophomore Eli Holstein. Holstein was pulled after throwing two interceptions during last week’s home loss against Louisville. Holstein saw fourth-quarter action Saturday with the result already decided.
Heintschel completed 30 of 41 passes for 323 yards and four touchdowns against Boston College (0-3, 1-4), as Pitt raced to a 31-0 halftime lead and piled on 503 yards of total offense.
Kenny Johnson caught a career-high nine passes for a personal-best 115 yards and a touchdown, while Juelz Goff and Ja’Kyrian Turner rushed for scores with All-America running back Desmond Reid sidelined for a second straight game. Justin Holmes, Deuce Spann and Zion Fowler-El also caught Heintschel touchdowns, as Pitt snapped a seven-game losing streak against Power Four teams.
Boston College entered with one of the top passing attacks in the country, but the Eagles suffered their fourth straight loss. Boston College had 136 yards of total offense until a late 80-yard scoring drive.
Boston College had 69 yards of total offense in the first half, including minus-9 yards rushing, as the Eagles punted four times, fumbled and turned the ball over on downs on six first-half drives.
Heintschel guided Pitt to five scores in six first-half drives, including four touchdowns and a field goal.
Heintschel led the Panthers to a touchdown on his first drive, an 11-play, 76-yard series that spanned 5:30. Heintschel was 4-of-4 for 29 yards including a 14-yard touchdown pass to Holmes. He also rushed for 16 yards and helped Pitt convert a pair of third downs.
Pitt scored three touchdowns in the second quarter, including two scores in the last two minutes of the half.
Johnson caught a 12-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-1 to complete a nine-play, 66-yard drive in 3:51. Goff rushed for a 3-yard touchdown with 1:56 to play in the half and Turner added a 6-yard rushing score to give Pittsburgh a 31-0 lead 10 seconds before halftime.