Nestor Cortes Shutout; Volpe & Soto HR’s Power Yanks. NY 7 Miami 0

April 8, 2024 paperbacklou 2024 0

Nestor Cortes is back.

Cortes pitched 8 innings of 2-hit shutout baseball and Anthony Volpe and Juan Soto each hit 3-run homers in the 4th inning to power the Yankees to a 7-0 victory at the Stadium on a Monday night — shortly after the solar eclipse.

Cortes mowed through the Miami lineup with ease, striking out 6, with zero walks.

Alex Verdugo added 3 hits and Giancarlo Stanton got 2 as the Yankees made it look easy — winning the game in just over 2 hours.

“I thought the changeup was really good tonite, throughout the whole game,” said Nestor Cortes afterwards. “The cutter was really pinpoint for me today; I think that’s what really got me over the top. My velo was a little down but I feel like the cutter was in a good spot, and I was throwing it into good places, so that’s what kind of got me through.”

NY improves to 9-2. Miami falls to 1-10.

1. Volpe & Soto Hit 3 Run Homers in 4th

Jesus Luzardo started for the Marlins. He is a prized 26-year-old lefty who came of age last year with a 10-10 3.58 record for the Marlins. With the Marlins off to a 1-9 start coming into this game, rumors have already been circulating that Miami might blow it up and put players like Luzardo and batting champ Luis Arraez on the trade block.

Luzardo pitched around 3 walks and a double given up in the first 3 innings.

But the Yanks got to him in the 4th.

Giancarlo Stanton singled, Anthony Rizzo hit a chopper just over the 1st baseman’s glove into right field for a single, and Anthony Volpe GOLFED one into the left field seats for a 3-0 Yankee lead.

The Yanks weren’t done. Next batter Alex Verdugo doubled and Jose Trevino walked. Jon Berti sacrificed them to 2nd and 3rd — but Gleyber Torres flied to right and Verdugo was held at 3rd — the Yankees not wanting to test the missile arm of Avisail Garcia in right — as Suzyn Waldman cooed on the radio not to go!

Juan Soto stepped up with 2 outs and 2 on and ripped a pitch high and deep and just fair into the right field seats. The second 3-run homer of the inning. NY 6 Miami 0.

2. Stanton & Verdugo Hook Up for a Run in 5th

Giancarlo Stanton led off the bottom of the 5th with a double, but Luzardo reared back and struck out Rizzo and Volpe. With 2 outs, Alex Verdugo laced a single to center on an 0-2 pitch for a 7-0 Yankee lead, knocking out Luzardo. Looks like if he is traded, it probably will not be to the Yankees?

3. Cortes Dominant

Meanwhile Nestor Cortes was absolutely DOMINANT. He pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, allowed a 1-out single in the 4th but then got fly out and strike out, pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 5th and 6th, and got 3 straight outs in the 7th after a leadoff single.

He came out to pitch the 8th at 94 pitches, and got the order out in 8 pitches — fly out, 3-pitch strikeout, and fly out.

About as dominating a performance you will see a pitcher pitch. 8 innings, 2 hits, no walks, 6 K’s.

4. Volpe Terrific Plays in the Field

Nestor Cortes was helped by two terrific plays in the field by Anthony Volpe. In the 2nd, he ranged to his left to turn a line drive into an out.

In the 3rd he ranged to his right to make a slick play.

5. Maciejewski Pitches Shutout 9th in MLB Debut

Josh Maciejewski was called up just before the game and made his MLB debut in the 9th. Maciejewski is a 6’3, 28-year-old lefty who has been in the Yankee system since 2018, after 4 years of college ball at University of North Carolina. Last year he went a combined 6-3 2.96 in 45 innings at levels A-AA-AAA.

As Tom Kosensky said on Twitter, “For someone like Josh Maciejewski, this day is huge. As soon as you spend one day on the roster (you don’t have to play), you get full comprehensive medical benefits. If he gets to 43 total days (doesn’t need to be consecutive), pension benefits begin.”

Maciejewski pitched a 1-2-3 shutout 9th — getting 3 straight groundouts with a 91-MPH sinker and 83-MPH changeup — for the old ballgame.

The Boxscore

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401568620

 

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