MLB WORLD SERIES: YANKEES VS DODGERS

October 25, 2024

Nestor Cortes

Dodger Stadium

New York Yankees

Pregame 1 Press Conference

Q. Nestor, when you originally got the diagnosis of the strain, did you think that you would be here honestly?

NESTOR CORTES: No. To be honest, no. Given that it was so late in the season, obviously with the left flexor strain, those are tough to come back, but we never gave up on it.

I feel like conversations with the doctor and the training staff, they told me we were going to be to no throw until I was asymptomatic, and after that, we were going to address it as good and possible as we can. Once I felt no pain, we started the buildup to see if it was possible to be back at any time during the playoffs.

Q. Do you feel yourself prior to the injury, like right now?

NESTOR CORTES: Yeah, I only took ten days off of no throw, so I feel like I didn't lose a lot. And with three lives, I was 88, 91, dropped down a few times, and I thought they were pretty competitive at-bats. Obviously with the magnitude of these games and how prepared I am, I think I'm going to be fine.

Q. Nestor, you mentioned those lives and dropping down trying to do some different things, what told you you would be good to go knowing the magnitude of the World Series?

NESTOR CORTES: Honestly for me, it was the velo. If it was 82, 83 coming into those lives, I knew I was going to be ready no matter how big those games are with the intensity and the adrenaline running. But the fact I was 88, 90, 91, that's almost up to what I pitch at.

Obviously, like I said, with the intensity here and how big these games are and what they mean, 92 and 93 aren't a far reach, and that's what I pitch at. So I think that's kind of what gave me the go.

Q. How do you expect to be used and how much can you give them?

NESTOR CORTES: Yeah, we spoke about it, and I think the obvious here is I'm coming out of the bullpen. Lefty-lefty matchups are going to be the best runways for me. I think one inning is what we're looking for. It might be two ups where I faced somebody with two outs, get that out, and maybe come back for another hitter or two.

But I'm ready for whatever's needed. I think once I'm out there and once I throw my first pitch, everything will -- all the jitters will go away, and the excitement will just kick in. What I've done and prepared for my whole life and this season will take over.

Q. How did Boony and Matt break the news to you?

NESTOR CORTES: About being on the roster? So yesterday I went out to throw, and I felt good. I stepped into Skip's office, and he was asking me how I felt, and it was just a go from there.

I thought they were eager to have me, and I was excited to be on this roster. I told them since the beginning that I just don't want to be on this roster because it's the World Series, 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.

Yeah, I'm just excited about the opportunity. Boony has seen me grow up in this organization since 2019, and I think he's very excited for me to be in this situation with him. We hugged it out, and that was it.

Q. Who were the first family people you called and told?

NESTOR CORTES: My parents and my wife. They're here in L.A. with me. As soon as I got back to the hotel, I broke them the news. Obviously they were happy.

Regardless of my decision, they're supportive of what this means to me and what this means as a competitor and a baseball player. As little kids, everybody wants to be in this scenario. I had the opportunity to do it, and I'm here.

Q. Obviously Rizzo is playing with a couple broken fingers, you're coming back from this, and the Dodgers have their own stuff. How much did you notice the connection with all the teammates, everyone noticing what you guys were pushing through, what you guys were working to get through as you were doing the work you had to do to get on this roster?

NESTOR CORTES: Well, what happened to Rizzo was unfortunate, getting hit by that pitch. I was actually inside when he went to go get the X ray and how teared up he was. Because you never know when it's your last game or you never know when you're going to put this uniform on. He knew that we were about to get into the playoffs.

Just watching that from him and knowing how much he cared and how much he wanted to be out there with the guys, putting it into the perspective of I'm relatively young for this game. Like I'm 29 years old, and I feel like I still have a lot of more years to give, but you never know when you're going to be in this situation, this spot with this opportunity.

Watching the guys in the DS and the CS battle every day, every inning, every out pushed me a little more to kind of be ready for this situation. I knew in the CS we met up in Boone's office and we talked about the possibility of maybe coming in for Hamilton. Obviously they took care of my health first, and as Cash said, we were cutting a lot of corners already.

The only way this would happen is if we made it to a World Series. Like I said, we're here. The guys have been great. They've pushed really hard throughout the whole year and especially in these last two rounds. I'm just happy to give what I've got for them in this round, and hopefully we can take it all the way.

Q. You mentioned the lefties they've got. What do you think about the possibility of coming in in the World Series game to get Ohtani or Freeman or those guys out?

NESTOR CORTES: Yeah, it's definitely going to be a tough task. Obviously we're talking about one of the best hitters in baseball in that lineup. But I think it's not uncharted territory for me to face lefties and get them out.

I think throughout my whole career I've done that pretty well. This is just another game for us. Knowing what's at stake, knowing how magnified these innings and these pitches are going to be. But I feel like I've prepared -- we've all prepared for this moment and it's going to be a moment that we're all going to cherish. We're just going to go out there and give it our best.

Q. Was Fernando Valenzuela somebody that you were aware of growing up? Were your parents fans or anything like that? What do you know about him?

NESTOR CORTES: I don't know much unfortunately. I knew he was a left-handed pitcher, and he was really great for this organization here in L.A. Me being on the East Coast, we didn't really watch a lot of Dodger baseball, but I know the impact he's made for the game and just how personable he looked in the TV.

If I were able to say something about me and him kind of, we look like two regular people that walk around the street but are Major League Baseball players. Obviously I didn't even begin to compare myself to him with all the accolades and all the stuff he did for this organization, but I know he's missed around the baseball community and missed around the world.

I'm sorry to hear what happened to him. That's all I can say.

Q. Have you ever fooled around with a screwball maybe? Why do you think that's a pitch that's kind of disappeared?

NESTOR CORTES: I've screwed around with a lot of pitches (laughter). I try to mess with a lot of different grips and different things I can possibly do. But, no, the screwball is not in my arsenal unfortunately.

Q. When you face Shohei, are you planning to do the (indiscernible) against him?

NESTOR CORTES: Yeah, I'm planning to do everything I have and everything I've got. As people have seen, I've done different timing stuff. I've dropped down on him. Like I said, he's a really good hitter. It's going to take all of my efforts and all of my ability to get him out when I do face him. When I face him, I'm going to try to strike him out every single time.

Q. You've watched a lot of Gerrit Cole starts. What tells you that he's locked in and has his best stuff? And how would you describe him on a start day?

NESTOR CORTES: It's funny you say that because every time I see him in a room by himself looking at a computer and writing down notes, I know he's locked in. Other friends of mine and people that I know ask me about, hey, how's Gerrit like? What he does and the way that he prepares makes him who he is.

Obviously he's got the talent. He throws 100. He's got a four- or five-pitch arsenal which he commands and does real well. He's just a different animal when it comes to big games and the way he goes about his business. He studies the game. He studies at-bats. He studies swings. He knows percentages.

When he's out there, he's not just competing. He knows what kind of percentage he has on throwing this pitch and making you out on this pitch, if you slug this ball or you don't slug this pitch. It's impressive to see honestly.

It's hard to describe in two minutes what he does, but since I've been here, since 2021 that I've been teammates with him, what I say the most about him is I respect him so much because no matter the amount of dollars he's making, he wants to win every single game, and he wants to make everybody around him as good or better than him. That's what I respect about him the most.

Q. Did see him in a room with a laptop here?

NESTOR CORTES: Walking over here, that's what he was doing.