The Yankees never fully appreciated Nasty Nestor Cortez, and he might just save them

Nestor Cortez Jr. was born lucky. Seven months after his birth, his family won a Visa lottery and moved from Cuba to Hialeah, Florida. Seventeen years later, the Yankees selected him in the 36th round of the 2013 draft, and convinced him to turn pro rather than attend Florida International University. 

Cortez never looked scary coming off the bus. He stands 5'11," seldom runs a radar gun above 91 mph, and never made a Top Prospects list. Twice, the Yankees flat-out punted on him.

In 2017, they left Cortez unprotected, and Baltimore grabbed him in the Rule 5 draft. He went north with the O's, a looming Cinderella story. In his first MLB outing, he gave up a grand slam to Josh Reddick. In his third, he walked Curtis Granderson with the bases loaded, then he gave up another salami to Josh Donaldson. The O's had seen enough. He returned to the Yankees at age 24 - which is menopausal age for a prospect. 

In 2019, the Yankees dealt Cortez to Seattle for somebody named Future Considerations. He flopped with the Mariners, was released, and re-signed with us. We have him through 2026. He is 27 - still too young to be a grizzled vet. 

Last night, as you probably know, "Nasty Nestor" shut down Toronto - the AL East's scariest lineup - for nearly five innings. While it's waaaay too early to make apocalyptic statements about the 2022 Yankees, it felt like a sweet victory. The Yankiverse has been roiled by a sense that this franchise is sliding, that it's no longer the dominant team in its division - or even its city. 

If the Yankees were swept at home by Toronto, the stadium would echo with boos, and sometimes, that Cat-5 negativity takes on a life of its own. It's silly to say the Yankees needed last night's game. In fact, it's ridiculous. Still, you felt a collective sigh of relief: The floor did not cave in... thanks to Nestor.

He is known for his mustache, which seems to have crawled onto his lip while sleeping. It's not hard to imagine him pitching into his 30s, because he survives on guile - arm angles, junk balls, control - rather than brute force speed. And it's a wonder that he's still with the Yankees  

I don't want to hex the guy. But last night, he was everything we needed. Just seeing him on the mound, while the Blue Jay batters flailed at his junk - yeah, that's what we needed: A pitcher, rather than a thrower. (And maybe we need some hitters, rather than sluggers, too?) 

Sometimes, in the end, it's the penny you can't throw away that saves you.