Nestor Cortes made his Milwaukee Brewers debut on Saturday, and he did so at Yankee Stadium against the team that traded him in the offseason. For Cortes, the outing went about as poorly as it possibly could have.
Cortes gave up three home runs on his first three pitches against the New York Yankees on Saturday. He gave up a fourth home run later in the first inning, followed by a fifth in the third inning.
Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, and Aaron Judge all took Cortes deep in the first.
WHAT A START FOR THE @YANKEES!!!
— MLB (@MLB) March 29, 2025
3 pitches, 3 home runs!! pic.twitter.com/xWqAqH9X0y
Cortes’ disastrous outing was a point of amusement for many Yankee fans. He spent the previous four seasons with the Yankees, and though he was an All-Star in 2022, he often frustrated fans with his inconsistent performances. He gave up 24 home runs in 174.1 innings last season, for instance, and that does not even include the Freddie Freeman grand slam he gave up in the World Series.
As such, many Yankee fans joked that Cortes was still an embedded Yankee, and was completely justifying why the team dealt him away in the first place.
Nestor Cortes getting clobbered after grooving 3 first pitch fastballs down the middle to his former team, who knows he loves to grove first pitch fastballs down the middle, is objectively hilarious
— David (@jadedmetsfan) March 29, 2025
Nestor Cortes in mid season form in that first inning lol. 4 Yankees 💣
— Richie Buckets ﾒ𝟶 (@RichieBucketsUK) March 29, 2025
One a yankee always a Yankee. @BanteredB_
Nestor Cortes getting destroyed after the Yankees traded him against his wishes pic.twitter.com/WTcH7t6lkN
— Nick Pollack (@PitcherList) March 29, 2025
Yankees hitters the minute Nestor Cortes becomes an opposing pitcher: pic.twitter.com/3vNPoBQMgd
— Calico Joe (@CalicoJoeMLB) March 29, 2025
Nestor Cortes returns to the Bronx and give up 5 dingers in 2 innings. Where have I seen him give up homers before? pic.twitter.com/ignanax7a4
— BlueTeamBad🏆 (@GoldTeamBad) March 29, 2025
Nestor Cortes still playing for the Yankees.. HRs for everyone pic.twitter.com/79NOQJovln
— The Welsh (@IsItTheWelsh) March 29, 2025
Yankees fans finally realizing why everyone used to “doubt” Nestor Cortes as a pitcher
— Marc Luino (@GiraffeNeckMarc) March 29, 2025
Obviously, Cortes was not trying to be a disaster. He undoubtedly wanted to make an impression on his new teammates in Milwaukee, and he had some reason to want to get a measure of revenge against the Yankees. To say it did not work out that way for him would be an understatement.
Cortes wound up giving up eight earned runs on six hits with five walks and two strikeouts in just two-plus innings of work.
