Picture the first Aaron Judge at-bat this Saturday at Yankee Stadium. Nestor Cortes, wearing Brewers navy now, shuffles on the mound, adding a pause in his motion, maybe dropping into a lower arm slot just before release. The swing waits.
“We’ll see, I can’t really say that,’’ Nestor Cortes said with a grin when asked if he’ll be using his signature funk against his former teammates. “I’m going to pitch the way I pitch. There’s going to be some funk to it, some sidearms, some hesitation. You don’t know when it’s coming.’’
Saturday marks Nestor Cortes’ first start as a Milwaukee Brewer, and it comes on familiar ground. The 30-year-old left-hander made a name for himself in the Bronx, rising from a 36th-round draft pick to an All-Star in 2022 during his four-and-a-half-year stint with the Yankees. But this offseason, after New York fell to the Dodgers in the World Series, Cortes sensed change coming.
While celebrating his birthday in Las Vegas, Nestor Cortes missed calls from general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone. The trade soon followed—Cortes and minor league infielder Caleb Durbin were sent to Milwaukee in exchange for All-Star closer Devin Williams.
“It didn’t really hit me until I left Vegas and I was back home in Miami,’’ said Nestor Cortes. That’s when he started ordering Brewers gear and began letting go of his Yankees identity.
‘It’ll be odd’ to face old teammates in the Bronx
He insists he’s landed in a good spot. “This team is a winning team. It’s not like I went to the worst possible situation,’’ Nestor Cortes said of the Brewers, who won the NL Central last season before falling to the Mets in the Wild Card Series.
Still, the return to New York stirred emotions. “Once we landed and bussed into the city, it kind of brought back some good memories,’’ Nestor Cortes admitted. “Miss it a little.’’
The lefty had been to Yankee Stadium as a visitor once before—in 2018 with the Orioles—but this visit felt different. “It was a little weird, not being able to park my car in the (players’) lot,’’ he said.
Before Thursday’s opener, Nestor Cortes was greeted warmly by ex-teammates and Yankees staffers. The crowd gave him a hearty ovation during introductions.
“I love Nestor Cortes. I still keep in contact with him,’’ said Aaron Boone. “It’ll be odd to see him pitch against us. But I’m really proud of who Nestor became with us… making an All-Star team, which I predicted for him.”
Boone hopes the Yankees can “beat him up a little bit” on the field before Nestor Cortes goes on to “have a great year.”
Nestor Cortes missed most of the 2024 postseason with an elbow flexor strain, only returning in time for the World Series, where he allowed a grand slam to Freddie Freeman in Game 1. “The way it ended is going to be something that not only the team but myself has to live with,’’ he said.
Still, he looks back fondly on his Yankees tenure—just not on Saturday. “I’m excited to face those guys, see where I match up against them,” said Cortes, who’s aiming to throw “five shutout” innings while sporting a new platinum-dyed hairstyle.
He also mentioned the relaxed grooming rules in Milwaukee. “I think a lot of guys wanted facial hair for a while,” he said. “It doesn’t matter anymore to me.”
As for how he expects to be received by Yankees fans?
“A lot of people are going to boo me, a lot of people are going to love me,” Nestor Cortes said. “It was just an honor to play for that team. Those guys are like family to me.”
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