After struggling with some hamstring issues in the first part of spring training, New York Yankees star left-hander Nestor Cortes made a swift recovery and pitched his first game of the season on Monday.
It resulted in a victory against the Philadelphia Phillies, the only team that still doesn’t know what it’s like to win in 2023.
Cortes was very good on the mound, pitching five innings while conceding a single run on seven hits.
He didn’t walk any batters and struck out three.
Cortes’ rebirth as a pitcher came in 2021, when he had a 2.90 ERA in 93 frames.
Last season, when he had more doubters than ever, he took it up a notch with a 2.44 ERA in 158.1 innings.
He just had his first game of the year and it was a masterful performance.
All of these versions of himself have had one thing in common.
The mustache!
Yes, Cortes proudly wears a mustache since he re-made himself into an ace.
It’s something of a lucky tradition at this point.
The mustache has now migrated to his shoes.
Wait, how is that possible?
Well, take a look.
Nestor Cortes wore mustache cleats for his first start of the season 😂 pic.twitter.com/Fer0QCdxiG
—MLB Life (@MLBLife) April 4, 2023
How can you not love Cortes?
He is good, efficient, charismatic, and he loves fun.
He has a unique pitching style, a tricky delivery, and a fun personality.
The little mustaches on his cleats brought him good fortune, because he earned his first win of the year.
If he is healthy, Cortes could be in for a career-high in innings and a career-best season, which is saying a lot considering he just had a 2.44 ERA in 2022.
He is one of the Yankees’ most important players.
NEXT:
Gleyber Torres Reached A Key Milestone On Monday
