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One of the biggest storylines after the New York Yankees' heartbreaking loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series was manager Aaron Boone's decision to have Nestor Cortes pitch in the 10th inning. After getting Shohei Ohtani out and intentionally walking Mookie Betts, Cortes gave up a walk-off grand slam to Freddie Freeman to give the Dodgers the 6-3 win.
While Cortes has been one of the Yankees' better starting pitchers this season, he had not appeared in a game in 37 days due to an elbow injury. The Yankees had another pitcher available in the bullpen, Tim Hill, who Boone elected not to use in the Game 1 loss.
Hill, who has arguably been the Yankees' best reliever this postseason, addressed being passed over by Boone for Cortes after the game to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic.
“Why don’t you ask Boonie,” Hill said. “I just pitch, bro.”
About a half hour later, Hill followed up his initial statement with a more lengthy explanation, per Kuty.
“[Cortes] had one situation and I had the other. So, he got it,” Hill said. “Know what I mean? I’m sorry, but that’s all I got.”
Why Yankees' Aaron Boone went to Nestor Cortes instead of Tim Hill
Boone initially brought in Cortes to face Shohei Ohtani for the left-on-left matchup. That move made sense, with Ohtani being just 2-for-12 in his career against Cortes. That specific matchup worked, as Cortes was able to get Ohtani out with some help from left fielder Alex Verdugo, who flew into the Dodgers crowd while making a running catch in foul territory.
After walking Betts to bring up Freeman with the bases loaded, Cortes' luck ran out, leaving many to wonder why Boone chose to go with him instead of Hill. In seven appearances this postseason, Hill has given up just one run and been one of the Yankees' most reliable pitchers out of the bullpen.
While Hill is more of a ground-ball pitcher, which could also explain why Boone went with Cortes to face the speedy Ohtani with just one out and runners on first and second, his performance this postseason should have been enough for Boone to trust him in this high-leverage situation instead of going with a starting pitcher who had not pitched in over a month.
The spotlight will be on Boone to see how he manages his bullpen in a crucial Game 2 down 1-0 in the World Series.
