When he allowed Freddie Freeman to hit the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history last October, San Diego Cortes experienced one of the darkest moments of his baseball career.
With a new pennant race and a new uniform Cortes confronted his Dodgers demons head-on on Saturday night, and he emerged happy.
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With a 5-1 victory, the San Diego Padres swept past Los Angeles to take sole possession of first place in the NL West, as the veteran left-hander delivered six outstanding innings of one-hit ball.
With a perfect game going into the sixth inning, Cortes combined with three relievers on a two-hitter, confusing the Dodgers’ expensive lineup. He did not, however, view this outstanding effort as atonement for his part in the Dodgers’ subsequent five-game victory over his New York Yankees and Freeman’s now-iconic slam at Chavez Ravine.
According to Cortes, there is undoubtedly a history. Everyone is aware of it. The beautiful thing about baseball is that you always have another chance, even though it (stinks) to experience those times as a player. You strive to make the most of the opportunity when it presents itself, and I did just that today.
In just his fourth Padres start, Cortes coolly retired the Dodgers’ first 16 hitters while a sold-out Petco Park crowd cheered him on. With a deft combination of pitches and none quicker than 92.1 mph, he sliced through Los Angeles’ assortment of MVPs and outstanding role players, striking out three and not walking a batter.
According to Padres manager Mike Shildt, that was fantastic. As we get to know him, he seems to be pretty good once he settles into a groove. From the first batter, he established a rhythm that he simply maintained. Through six, the effort was outstanding.
Until Miguel Rojas singled with one out in the sixth, the Dodgers were unable to even reach base. After calmingly regrouping, Cortes ended the inning and his night by retiring Shohei Ohtani on a flyball for the third time.
Because Cortes is still getting to know his teammates and coaches with the Padres, who acquired him from Milwaukee at the July 31 trade deadline in a series of transactions that have greatly enhanced an already good squad, the performance was all the more impressive.
In exchange for closer Devin Williams, the Yankees sent Cortes to the Brewers last winter. However, Cortes only made two starts for Milwaukee before missing four months due to an elbow ailment.
Cortes has filled a void in the Padres’ rotation, even though he didn’t play for MLB-best Milwaukee. Cortes has only allowed three earned runs in his other 20 innings for San Diego, despite giving up four runs in the first inning of last Monday’s game against San Francisco.
Cortes is excited to see how far the Padres can go and is aware that he has joined a team that may offer him the opportunity to create new October history.
Cortes remarked, “These guys are resilient.” They don’t just happen to be at the top of the rankings. They are a team that fights and puts forth a lot of effort on the field, even before I arrived here and watched them from the East Coast. You can see how everyone is here together now that you’re a part of them. Everyone is attempting to win, and there is a sense of brotherhood.
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