Nestor Cortes' near no-no almost created an 'uh-oh' situation for Yankees

Hate to be that guy, but Eli White did the Yankees a huge favor Monday with the eighth-inning single that ended Nestor Cortes’ bid for a no-hitter.

White, the very last man in the Rangers’ lineup, fell behind 0-and-2 before fouling off a pair of two-strike pitches, then managed to punch a 92-mph fastball into shallow centerfield.

It was the definition of weak contact. A jam shot. Exit velo: 78.9 mph.

But White’s soft liner found a patch of open grass, something the Rangers hadn’t done all day against Cortes. The ball had barely landed before manager Aaron Boone popped from the dugout to retrieve Cortes, who exited to a standing ovation.

One hit, 11 strikeouts. Dozens of feeble swings, hardly a barrel among them. But the number that concerned the Yankees, and rightly so, was the 103 pitches Cortes had thrown.

He did most of the heavy lifting during the Yankees’ 1-0 victory over the Rangers on Monday’s (makeup) matinee in the Bronx. And if White hadn’t made the decision for Boone, things were going to get awfully tense from there. Locked in a scoreless tie for seven innings, the pressure on Cortes squeezed tighter with each subsequent delivery, increasing the level of difficulty for what he was able to accomplish.

Once Cortes survived two walks in the seventh and came off at 94 pitches, Boone didn’t hesitate to let him try for the eighth — a new frontier for Cortes as a starter. The most pitches he had ever thrown was 104, and Boone said he didn’t have an exact boundary in mind.

As for Cortes, he was well aware the clock was ticking. He whiffed Charlie Culberson on three pitches to open the eighth before White worked him for six and ended his afternoon. Once Cortes reached the dugout, there were a few exhales among the handshakes and high-fives.

“That was definitely getting to a point where we were getting a little uncomfortable,” pitching coach Matt Blake said. “Knowing that if he got through that inning, we’re starting at 115, 120 pitches. I think we were trusting he was going to be honest with us about how he felt, but also we were going to have to make a hard decision at some point — either let him go or pull the plug.”

As Blake spoke, you could almost read the relief on his face that it never came to that.

Cortes is an amazing story, a 36th-round draft pick nearly a decade ago who has fought for every inch to get here. You can’t even describe what a no-hitter would mean to him. He had trouble describing it himself despite a few close calls in the minors.

But Cortes has graduated to become something much greater than a cult hero, or a crafty, cutter-throwing novelty act. He’s one of the best pitchers in baseball, with a 1.41 ERA through six starts, and no one else in Yankees history has begun a season with at least 40 strikeouts and allowed six or fewer runs in his first half-dozen games.

And if you’re sticking with Gerrit Cole as the Yankees’ No. 1, by virtue of a longer resume and a $324 million contract, then Cortes certainly deserves the title of 1-A. Since May 30 of last year, his 2.52 ERA is the lowest in the AL and eighth in MLB.

Monday’s flirtation with history was amazing. The Rangers looked as if they couldn’t touch his cutter even if he told them it was coming. But Cortes’ late-blooming career also is something that needs to be protected, and the Yankees owed that to him as his pitch count climbed into the “danger zone,” as Boone described it.

Cortes was too hopped up on adrenaline to recognize the warning signs. Blake did, which is why he visited him after the two walks in the seventh. The coach noticed his mechanics slipping and wanted to get him back “online.” And as good as Cortes thought he felt at the time, it had taken a bigger toll than he first calculated.

“When the emotions and the adrenaline is rushing, everything feels great,” he said. “But now I feel like I got hit by a truck.”

That’s the part that every manager fears. The darker side of the fairy tale. It’s why Dave Roberts pulled Clayton Kershaw from last month’s bid for a perfect game after seven innings and only 80 pitches.

Cortes, by his own admission, maxed out on Monday. Don’t be fooled because his fastball velocity averaged 90.9, with a 93.0 ceiling. He’s only human, too.

“Today I thought he held his stuff well, he was in control,” Boone said. “And he throws hard for him. He’s still working out there.”

Cortes makes it look so easy, and so fun to watch, that sometimes we forget. Sure it was disappointing for him to fall short of history. But from what we’ve seen, he’s likely to have more chances.

By David Lennon

dave.lennon@newsday.comDPLennon

David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.