Aaron Judge and Nestor Cortes were close to securing a Game 1 win in the 2024 World Series, with the Yankees leading a couple of times throughout the game. However, they ultimately fell in the 10th inning due to a walk-off grand slam by Freddie Freeman.
Following the tough loss, Judge stepped up to deliver a message of confidence and support to his teammate Nestor Cortes, who was one out away from closing out the game before Freeman’s 409-foot homer to right field brought in Taylor, Edman, and Betts to seal the Dodgers‘ 6-3 victory.
“I got faith in all our guys. It doesn’t matter who it is, any guy that steps up on the mound. He knows he’s got a job to do. Nobody else I want out there on the mound,” Judge said, expressing his faith in Cortes and all Yankees pitchers who take the mound.
Cortes had been sidelined for over a month with an elbow injury and was recently tapped by manager Aaron Boone as a reliever for the World Series, given he wasn’t yet ready to return as a starter.
Aaron Judge was asked about his faith in Nestor Cortes tonight in Game 1 "I got faith in all our guys. It doesn't matter who it is, any guy that steps up on the mound. He knows he's got a job to do. Nobody else I want out there on the mound"
Does Cortes Have Postseason Experience?
Game 1 against the Dodgers marked Cortes’ first appearance in the 2024 postseason. His previous postseason experience came in 2022 against the Cleveland Guardians, when he started all three games he pitched, though the Yankees lost two of those.
see also
MLB News: Yankees’ Aaron Boone sends clear message to Dodgers ahead of World Series Game 2
When Did Nestor Cortes Join the Yankees?
Nestor Cortes first joined the Yankees in 2019, briefly left for a season with Seattle, and returned to the Bronx in 2021. Since then, he has steadily established himself as a key starter. His best season in terms of wins came in 2022, with 28 starts and a 12-4 record overall.
