Connect with us

Published

on

LOS ANGELES — Yankees relievers Nestor Cortes and Tim Hill waited for the signal from their manager in the visitors bullpen at Dodger Stadium, tucked down the right-field line, in the 10th inning Friday night.

The two left-handers were instructed to warm up at the same time. Shohei Ohtani, the best left-handed hitter in the sport, was looming. One of them would face him and the gauntlet that followed to attempt to record the final two outs to hold New York’s one-run lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series. Both were ready. They just didn’t know which one manager Aaron Boone would choose.

Finally, Boone gestured for Cortes as he walked out to the mound to take the ball from Jake Cousins. Cortes, out because of a flexor strain since the end of the regular season, hadn’t pitched in a game in 37 days. Suddenly, he was thrust into the hottest of fires.

It took him one pitch to retire Ohtani, pulling the Yankees to within one out of a victory. Freddie Freeman launched Cortes’ next pitch into the right-field pavilion for a walk-off grand slam to give the Dodgers a 6-3 win.

“Just liked the matchup,” Boone said when asked why he chose Cortes. “The reality is he’s been throwing the ball really well the last few weeks as he’s gotten ready for this.”

Boone added that he preferred Cortes over Hill, a groundball specialist, because Ohtani, a fast runner, is unlikely to ground into a double play. Cortes swiftly disposed of Ohtani, the presumptive National League MVP, thanks to Alex Verdugo‘s acrobatic catch banging into a short wall and into the crowd down the left-field line. But, by rule, because Verdugo fell into an out-of-play area, the runners advanced to second and third base, leaving first base open.

Boone then opted to intentionally walk Mookie Betts, a former MVP, to load the bases and create a more favorable lefty-on-lefty matchup against Freeman, another former MVP.

“Yes and no,” Betts said when asked if he was surprised he was intentionally walked. “I mean, it makes sense. I was ready to go, either way, but I definitely understand.”

Freeman was 1-for-3 with a double against Cortes — all in a June 8 matchup this season — before stepping into the batter’s box. Hunting fastball, he got one at 92 mph down and in, and pounced.

“I looked at it as soon as I came in,” Cortes said. “I got to the inside of the part of the plate, but just not high enough.”

Cortes’ two pitches were his first since he tossed six scoreless innings Sept. 18. A week later, he was scratched from a start and put on the injured list. He was shut down for 10 days and took a platlelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection, unsure if he would pitch again in 2024. It would take a deep postseason run from the Yankees to have a chance.

The Yankees did their part, winning the American League pennant, and Cortes, after throwing a 28-pitch live bullpen session Tuesday at Yankee Stadium without a hiccup, was put on the World Series roster as a reliever. He understood he was taking a risk by pushing himself. Flexor strains often lead to major elbow injuries. A free agent after next year, Cortes could cost himself millions of dollars if he were to have a significant setback.

“I told them since the beginning that I just don’t want to be on this roster because it’s the World Series,” Cortes said before the game. “I want to be able to contribute and make sure when I’m out there that I’m giving my best and close to 100 percent as possible.”

Cortes said he “felt better than expected” while warming up in the bullpen. His fastball velocity, 88 to 90 mph in his live bullpen sessions, jumped a few ticks on the radar gun. Adrenaline coursed through him. He had worked for that moment. He waited for it for weeks, down to his manager’s signal Friday night, and it ended in stunning disappointment.

“Just sucks,” Cortes said. “I couldn’t come through for the guys. I know everybody’s focused on Ohtani, Ohtani, Ohtani. We get him out, but Freeman is also a really good hitter. I just couldn’t get the job done today.”

Continue Reading

Sports

‘So that’s why they’re called the 0’s’: Twins troll Orioles after shutout win

Published

on

By

'So that's why they're called the 0's': Twins troll Orioles after shutout win

The Minnesota Twins are on a roll. They extended their winning streak to 11 games Thursday with a 4-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles that completed a series sweep. Their confidence carried over to social media, too, as they trolled the Orioles.

Minnesota used a three-run third inning to propel itself to victory, with home runs from DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Byron Buxton.

The Twins hold the longest win streak in MLB; its their their longest run of victories since winning 12 straight from April 22 to May 4 last season, according to ESPN Research. The franchise record is 15 set in 1991.

Minnesota poked fun at Baltimore’s namesake with a post after the game, referring to the Orioles also being known as the “O’s” — and swapping a zero in for the O.

The Twins have won each of their six matchups against the Orioles this season. All of them have come during Minnesota’s current win streak.

Minnesota (24-20) is fourth in the American League Central behind the Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers.

Continue Reading

Sports

Red Sox rookie Campbell working out at 1st base

Published

on

By

Red Sox rookie Campbell working out at 1st base

Star Boston Red Sox rookie Kristian Campbell has started working out at first base in the wake of Triston Casas‘ season-ending knee injury.

Campbell worked out at first before Friday night’s series opener against the Atlanta Braves at Fenway Park, and Red Sox manager Alex Cora addressed the situation when he spoke to reporters before the game.

“Looking for options,” Cora told reporters. “Obviously, we’re getting Romy [Gonzalez] probably at the end of the week, early next week, but just introduce him to first base and see how he looks. That’s where we’re at.”

Casas ruptured the tendon in his left knee while running to first base during a game against the Minnesota Twins earlier this month. His replacement at first, Gonzalez, was placed on the 10-day injured list because of a left quad contusion last week.

One potential replacement, star slugger Rafael Devers, said after Casas went down that he would not be open to moving to first after he went from third base to designated hitter during spring training to make room for Alex Bregman.

Campbell, one of baseball’s top prospects, broke camp with the big league team and has been its primary second baseman through the start of the season. He has also played in the outfield and at shortstop and third base in his career, but never first.

Asked what he would need to see for Campbell to be a realistic option at first for his team, Cora added: “The process started, right? It can take 10 days, 15 days, a month, two months. But we started the process and introduced him to first.”

Continue Reading

Sports

McCullers on mound after threatening messages

Published

on

By

McCullers on mound after threatening messages

ARLINGTON, Texas — Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. gave up two unearned runs over four innings against the Texas Rangers on Friday, six nights after the right-hander failed to get out of the first inning in a game that he said was followed by online threats.

McCullers, who is making a comeback after sitting out two full seasons because of injuries, gave up seven runs while getting only one out in Houston’s 13-9 loss last Saturday, then said afterward that he had received online death threats directed at his children. The Astros said Houston police and Major League Baseball security were alerted to the threats.

The 31-year-old right-hander on Friday made only his third start for the Astros since the 2022 World Series. He earned a no-decision.

McCullers needed 83 pitches to get through his four innings and he threw 53 strikes. He struck out two, walked one and gave up four singles.

The only runs against McCullers came when Jonah Heim had a two-run single with two outs in the second inning. That was three batters after shortstop Jeremy Peña was charged with an error when he failed to catch a throw from McCullers, who was trying to get the lead runner at second base after fielding a comebacker.

Jake Burger, whose homer was the only run in the Rangers’ 1-0 win in the series opener Thursday night, then had an infield popout before Heim’s hit into the right-field corner.

Astros manager Joe Espada said before Friday’s game that McCullers mentally was “in a good spot. Physically, he’s fine. He just needs to go out there and just have some confidence and pitch, be aggressive in the zone and we have his back.”

McCullers had surgery in June 2023 to repair his right flexor tendon and remove a bone spur, and was rehabbing last June when he had a setback during a bullpen session that shut him down for the rest of the season. He made four starts in the minor leagues this year before rejoining the Astros rotation on May 4.

“We all have confidence he can do it. He just needs to go out there and do his thing,” Espada said. “It’s going to happen.”

McCullers is 49-33 and 3.53 ERA in 133 games (130 starts) for the Astros since his big league debut with them in 2015.

An All-Star in 2017, McCullers went 10-6 with a 3.86 ERA in 25 games in 2018 before Tommy John surgery. He was 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA in 28 starts in 2021, then signed an $85 million, five-year contract that goes through 2026.

Continue Reading

Trending