San Diego Padres starting pitcher Nestor Cortes put together an incredible start on Saturday, in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Cortes threw six innings of one-hit ball, to help lift San Diego to a 5-1 victory.
Following the win, the Padres now are in sole possession of first place in the National League West division.
“That was tremendous,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said of Cortes, per ESPN. “We're getting to know him, and it just feels like once he gets in a rhythm, he's really good. He got in a rhythm right from the very first batter, and he just carried it through. It was a fantastic effort through six.”
The game proved to be vengeance for the Padres hurler. He had been battered by the Dodgers in a previous outing, allowing a grand slam to Freddie Freeman during the 2024 World Series. At that time, Cortes was pitching for the New York Yankees.
“Obviously, there's a history,” Cortes said. “Everybody knows about it. It sucks as a player to go through those moments, but the good thing about baseball is that you always have another opportunity. Once the opportunity comes, you try and make the best out of it, and that's what I did today.”
The Padres are now 74-56 on the season, following the win.
Padres hope to win the NL West
San Diego is deadlocked in a struggle with Los Angeles to win the division. This season, the Padres have relied on excellent pitching to carry them deep into August. The club now has a one game lead in the division, following the win on Saturday.
Cortes was on fire against the Dodgers Saturday night. He retired the team's first 16 batters. Following the win, the pitcher spoke about the camaraderie on this team.
“These guys are resilient,” Cortes said. “They're not at the top of the standings for no reason. Even long before I got here, watching them from the East Coast, it's a team that battles, a team that goes out there and plays hard. Now, being part of them, you can tell how everybody is here together. It's a camaraderie, and everybody is just trying to win.”
San Diego looks to sweep the Dodgers in this series on Sunday. The Padres have won six of their last 10 contests.
