New York Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes Jr. has been known to get weird with his windups, but he might have outdone himself on Sunday afternoon.
In the second inning of the Yankees’ 8-7 loss to the Cleveland Guardians, Cortes broke out arguably his goofiest move yet on the mound. On a 0–2 count, Cortes started to deliver a pitch to Guardians’ Andrés Giménez when he paused, did his so-called “dipsy doodle” leg kick, and then appeared to hit a pump fake before finally throwing the ball.
NEW NESTOR CORTES MOVE UNLOCKED! pic.twitter.com/d90G8iQwAC
— MLB (@MLB) April 14, 2024
Cortes’s funky fake pitch immediately had MLB fans scratching their heads, as some thought Cortes’s too-cute move should be deemed illegal and called for a balk. Others were just totally weirded out.
This so-called 'move' by Nestor Cortes should be illegal. A very mediocre pitcher trying to find an unethical advantage. This type of stuff belongs in Savannah (Bananas), not in the Major Leagues. pic.twitter.com/7h7gzc5DhP
— Dan Clark (@DanClarkSports) April 14, 2024
Cortes memorably made then-Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani laugh at his pitching antics three years ago, and it would appear as though the one-time All-Star still has more than a few weird tricks up his sleeve.
The 29-year-old Cortes is coming off an injury-plagued 2023 season that saw him record a 4.97 ERA across 12 starts before getting shut down due to a rotator cuff strain.
