Nestor Cortes knows all about the ups and downs of baseball

If you ever forget baseball is a business, we offer two examples from the Yankees' clubhouse on Monday. 

First: Each player has a nameplate above his locker. Only two of the 26 Yankees have special officially authenticated Major League Baseball decals affixed to the nameplate, just between the name and uniform number.  

Those two players are Aaron Judge and Anthony Volpe. 

How much money will a lucky collector or two one day pay for the Judge and Volpe nameplates when they go up for sale? No idea. 

The other reminder that baseball is a business — and a potentially cruel one at that — was the empty locker of pitcher Jhony Brito, who had the best day of his baseball life on Sunday when he beat the Giants in his big-league debut. 

After the game, Brito was sent down to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. 

On Monday, perched on what had been Brito’s locker chair, was the WWE-style championship belt Yankees players award to the star of each victorious game.  

On Sunday, Brito got the belt. But the glittery item did not travel with him to Triple-A.  

Nestor Cortes knows all about how baseball is a business, about the ups and down and joys and failures. 

Cortes made his first start of 2023 on Monday, going five innings and allowing one run in the Yankees’ 8-1 victory over the Phillies at Yankee Stadium. 

The final out of Cortes’ outing only adds to the “Legend of Nestor,” as Aaron Boone likes to call it. 

With a runner on second and two outs and the Yankees leading 3-1, J.T. Realmuto lined a single to right. Franchy Cordero, making his Yankees debut, muscled up and overthrew catcher Jose Trevino.  

Baserunner Brandon Marsh stopped on his way home but strayed too far around third. Cortes, backing up the play, grabbed the overthrow and fired to DJ LeMahieu at third to get Marsh for the final out of the fifth, thrilling the crowd — and his manager. 

“Great play,” Boone said. “Great play. First, to be in the right position, backing up the base. And then executing a really tough play where he kind of had to throw back against his body.” 

Said Cortes: “I knew I had to be back there just in case. Luckily, I was.” 

The Yankees scored five in the bottom of the fifth to turn the game into a laugher and Cortes did not return for the sixth.  

Cortes, 28, entered this spring training with a guaranteed rotation spot for the first time. He is the Yankees’ No. 2 starter because of injuries to Carlos Rodon, Luis Severino and Frankie Montas. 

It’s those injuries that gave Brito a chance, and he made the most of it. On Sunday, the 24-year-old righthander went the first five innings in the Yankees’ 6-0 victory over San Francisco. 

“I’m very happy,” Brito said.  

And then he was called into Boone’s office. No word if Brito was still wearing the belt. 

“The biggest message is just go keep getting better,” Boone said. “He’s making opportunities for himself and putting himself more and more into the mix every time he goes out there.”  

A similar sentiment could have been expressed about Cortes when he took off last season. Give the Yankees credit for (finally) seeing what Cortes could be and helping him develop into it.  

On Opening Day last Thursday, Cortes was given one of the biggest ovations during pregame introductions. In volume and intensity, it was just behind the ones for Judge and Volpe. 

“He’s been such a good pitcher here and has been given nothing,” Boone said. “Had to just scratch and crawl his way through the minor leagues . . . He’s a great story for a lot of people out there.” 

The Yankees let Cortes go twice — to the Orioles as a Rule 5 pick in 2017 before he was returned, and to the Mariners in 2019 in a trade for “future considerations.”  

Seattle released him in 2020. The lefthander re-signed with the Yankees and blossomed last season to become “Nasty Nestor” and earn his first All-Star berth. Cortes signed his first big-money deal with a $3.2 million salary for this season.  

That’ll buy a lot of nameplates.