Nestor Cortes had a strong outing after enduring a 38-minute rain delay last night, going six innings and giving up just one run as his New York Yankees were unable to hold on to the lead he handed to the bullpen, ultimately losing 5-3 to the Boston Red Sox in the opener of a 3-game set at home.
Cortes improved to 4-3 with a 1.81 ERA at home despite the no decision, and he got honest with reporters after the game about the team’s recent struggles.
Cortes said, “I’ve never been part of a World Series team, but I’m sure along the lines they’ve been through stretches like this.”
“I’ve never been part of a World Series team, but I’m sure along the lines they’ve been through stretches like this.”
– Nestor Cortes on the Yankees struggles. pic.twitter.com/pSr0dx8S9K
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) July 6, 2024
The lefty added that “it’s always a bad feeling” to blow a lead like this and called Clay Holmes “the best closer in the game” after blowing a 3-1 lead, while also acknowledging that the team isn’t panicking about the recent struggles.
New York was up 3-1 and Holmes was one strike away from ending the game before throwing one too many sinkers to Masataka Yoshida, who crushed a game-tying two-run homer deep into the right-field bleachers before Ceddanne Rafaela hit a two-run homer of his own in the tenth inning to put the game away.
The Yankees have lost four in a row and dropped to 1-6 in extra innings, and since getting off to a league-best 49-21 start, the Yanks are a league-worst 5-15 since.
This is becoming more than just a losing streak and is drawing back rough memories of the last two seasons when the Yankees squandered similar great starts only to limp to the finish line and get eliminated in October.
