TAMPA — Nestor Cortez felt like himself again Sunday, and he looked the same, tricks and all.
As an indicator of how strong his shoulder feels, Cortez worked hard in his four innings against the Tigers, increasing his pitch count to 54 while mixing in some hesitation throws and a lower-arm slot. .
The Yankees left-hander then verbally indicated an improvement in his condition.
“This was the best I’ve had in a while,” Cortez said after allowing one hit (a solo home run), one walk, and three strikeouts. “I felt like I was in a rhythm and everything was flowing. I let go of that bomb, but everything else was easy throwing strikes, banging the zone, commanding pitches. I did.”
This spring, for the first time since a season derailed by two rotator cuff tears, Cortez mixed in some old-school tricks.
In the second inning, he swung his foot toward center field and then threw a pitch that led to a flyout.
In the next innings, he dropped the arm slot several times, including a sweeper that Akhil Baddoo fanned for strike three off the bat.
“Graybar” [Torres] I was asking for that from the dugout,” Cortez said with a laugh. “So, that’s what led me to do that. But yeah, once you start doing it and it starts to feel normal, you feel like you’re in a good place.”
Manager Aaron Boone thought Cortez had been feeling good all spring after an offseason in which he moved most of his training and rehab to the Yankees’ player development facility, but he’d like to see more of that as he continues to ramp up volume. He said he liked it.
“His recovery during that time was good.” [outings], it was very exciting,” Boone said. “You just have to keep doing it.”
Cortez echoed that sentiment several times during camp, remaining cautiously optimistic as his workload increases.
However, three or four days after his start last Monday, Cortez said he was feeling so good that it felt like a week had passed since he last pitched.
“The hardest thing will be the next time it’s four or more innings, and the next time it’s five or more innings,” he said. “We’ll certainly have to manage the build-up and workload for the season. But after today, with the recovery and on-time performance last week, I’m sure next time will be great. I’m very confident.”
