Nestor Cortes pitched brilliantly on short rest for the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the ALDS on Tuesday. He also found an opportunity to do his funky pitching motion.
Cortes allowed just three hits and one run over five innings and picked up the win in the Yankees’ 5-1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians.
While facing leadoff man Steven Kwan during Game 5, Cortes messed with his usual delivery. Take a look.
The crowd loves when Nestor gets funky. #postseason pic.twitter.com/NV4I7KEO2u
— MLB (@MLB) October 18, 2022
Why does Cortes do that? No, it’s not just so he can go viral.
The Yankees pitcher explained his reasoning in an interview on MLB Network in late September.
“Hitting’s about timing. I’m trying to disrupt that as many times as possible when I’m up there,” Cortes reasoned.
https://twitter.com/Yankeelibrarian/status/1573321896388694016
His explanation and thinking makes complete sense. His mentality has likely helped him have so much success this season. The 27-year-old went 12-4 with a 2.44 ERA and 0.92 WHIP during the regular season. And he got the win in the ALDS-clinching Game 5 against Cleveland.
