LOS ANGELES – Yankees relievers Nestor Cortes and Tim Hill waited in the visitors bullpen of Dodger Stadium, tucked along the right field line, Friday evening for their manager’s signal.

The two left-handers were instructed to warm up at the same time. Shohei Ohtani, the best left-handed hitter in the sport, loomed large. One of them would face him and the gauntlet that followed in an attempt to record the final two outs to preserve New York’s lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series. Both were ready. They just didn’t know which manager Aaron Boone would choose.

Finally, Boone gestured to Cortes as he walked to the mound to take the ball from Jake Cousins. Cortes, out with a flexor strain since the end of the regular season, had not pitched a game in 37 days. Suddenly he was thrown into the hottest fires.

It took him one pitch to eliminate Ohtani, bringing the Yankees to within one of a victory. Freddie Freeman launched Cortes’ next pitch into the right-field pavilion for a walk-off grand slam that gave the Dodgers a 6–3 victory.

“I just liked the match,” Boone said when asked why he chose Cortes. “The reality is he’s been throwing the ball really well over the last few weeks as he’s been preparing for this.”

Boone added that he preferred Cortes over Hill, a groundball specialist, because Ohtani, a speed runner, is unlikely to get into a double play. Cortes quickly eliminated Ohtani, the presumptive National League MVP, thanks to Alex Verdugo’s acrobatic catch that bounced off a short wall and into the crowd down the left field line. But because Verdugo fell into an outfield area, the runners advanced straight to second and third base, leaving first base open.

Boone then opted to intentionally walk Mookie Betts, a former MVP, to load the bases and set up a more favorable left-on-left matchup against Freeman, another former MVP.

“Yes and no,” Betts said when asked if he was surprised he was deliberately released. “I mean, it makes sense. I was ready for it anyway, but I definitely understand.”

Freeman went 1-for-3 with a double against Cortes – all in a June 8 game this season – before stepping into the batter’s box. While chasing fastball, he got one down and in at 90 mph and jumped.

“I looked at it as soon as I walked in,” Cortes said. “I got to the inside of the part of the plate, but not quite high enough.”

Cortes’ two pitches were his first since throwing six scoreless innings on September 18. A week later, he was cut from the start and placed on the injured list. He was shut down for 10 days and given a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection because he was unsure if he would pitch again in 2024. It would take a deep postseason run by the Yankees to have a chance.

The Yankees did their part by winning the American League pennant, and Cortes, after throwing a 28-pitch live bullpen session without incident at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, was named to the World Series roster as a reliever. He understood that he was taking a risk by pushing himself. Flexor strains often lead to serious elbow injuries. Cortes would be a free agent after next year and could cost himself millions of dollars if he were to suffer a significant setback.

“I told them from the beginning that I just don’t want to be on this roster because it’s the World Series,” Cortes said before the game. “I want to be able to contribute and make sure that when I’m there, I do my best and I’m close to 100 percent possible.”

Cortes said he felt “better than expected” while warming up in the bullpen. His fastball velocity, from 88 to 90 mph in his live bullpen sessions, jumped a few ticks on the radar gun. Adrenaline rushed through him. He had worked before that moment. He waited weeks for it, until Friday evening for his manager’s signal, and it ended in a stunning disappointment.

“It just sucks,” Cortes said. “I couldn’t get through for the guys. I know everyone is focused on Ohtani, Ohtani, Ohtani. We’ll get him out, but Freeman is a really good hitter too. I just couldn’t get the job done today.”