New York Yankees starting pitcher Nestor Cortes is one of the breakout stars of the 2022 MLB season. Unfortunately, the All-Star candidate is now in the headlines for a nickname used by MLB broadcaster Jim Kaat during a recent broadcast.
The moment happened during Thursday’s broadcast of the Minnesota Twins vs Detroit Tigers game, with Cortes on the mound at Yankee Stadium hundreds of miles away. After talking about Twins’ southpaw Devin Smeltzer, Kaat referred to Cortes.
- Nestor Cortes stats (2021): 1.50 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 5-1 record in 60 innings pitched
While talking about Cortes’ excellence on the mound, Kaat referred to him as “Nestor the Molester.”
“‘Nestor the Molester,’ Nestor Cortes. Angles and different speeds. He’s a pitcher.”
Minnesota Twins broadcaster Jim Kaat on New York Yankees’ Nestor Cortes
According to the Associated Press, Twins’ vice president of communication and content Dustin Morse spoke with Kaat following the game about the nickname used and the broadcaster intends to speak with the Yankees’ pitcher about the comment. Cortes told reporters Friday that he wasn’t offended by the nickname and viewed it as a mistake.
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This isn’t the first time Kaat has come under fire for comments made during a broadcast. The MLB broadcaster said while calling a 2021 AL Division Series game between the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros game when talking about Cuban native Yoan Moncada that he wanted to “get a 40-acre field full of them.
He apologized later in the broadcast for the remark.
