Nestor Cortes 'upset' over demotion to Yankees' bullpen - ESPN

Yankees left-hander Nestor Cortes admitted he was «upset» over being used as a reliever against the Cubs, saying he was surprised by the demotion from New York's starting rotation but that he would accept the new role if it ends up being permanent.

Cortes, a former All-Star who has worked exclusively as a starter since midway through the 2021 season, pitched 4 1/3 no-hit relief innings Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field, combining with starter Clarke Schmidt for a four-hit shutout in the Yankees' 2-0 victory.

The outspoken Cortes did not mince words after the game, calling himself the «workhorse» of New York's rotation and citing the Yankees' decision to name him as their Opening Day starter when ace Gerrit Cole was sidelined with an elbow injury to start the season.

«Obviously I was upset,» Cortes said. «I felt like I've been, amongst all the starters, the workhorse here. Once Cole went down, they picked me to be the Opening Day starter — not necessarily the No. 1, but the Opening Day starter. I had to switch my routine there.

»Now they do this."

It was the first relief appearance since July 23, 2021, for Cortes (9-10), who lowered his ERA to 3.97 and leads the Yankees with 163 1/3 innings pitched this season. He needed just 48 pitches to complete his outing Saturday, walking one and striking out three.

«I'm never going to back down from a challenge,» he said. «I'm never going to leave my teammates out to dry. You're always going to get my best effort, no matter if I'm happy or not.

»That's what I did today. I came out there and proved I can be put in any situation. From here on out, if that's my role, then I'll accept it."

Cortes is scheduled to start one of the Yankees' four games next weekend against the Boston Red