By Jose Alejandro Rodriguez Jazz
This Wednesday, November 29, star Cuban pitcher for the New York Yankees, left-handed Nestor CortezV made public his decision to pitch in the World Baseball Classic, news that had been anticipated for weeks.
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As posted on the official MLB Twitter account, Cortez said yes to a call-up from the U.S. National Team, of which the Antillean is a naturalized citizen.
In this way, discussions about the possibility of Cortez joining the invitation of the Cuban Baseball Federation to the aforementioned event, rumors that recently flooded social networks, ended.
Cortez joins a cast of Stars and Stripes participating in the 2023 World Classic, joining other Major League stars who have already made pledges.
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The left-handed starter for the Yankees was born 27 years ago in Patabano, Cuba, and has five seasons in the majors, including three with the Broncos and one each with the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners.
He has a career record of 19-9 with a 3.60 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 346 strikeouts in 330.1 innings pitched in 92 games, including 44 starts. His opponents are hitting .226.
In the most recent 2022 MLB season, he was one of the best pitchers in all of Major League Baseball, going 12-4 in 28 starts, with a 2.44 average, 0.92 WHIP and 163 strikeouts in 158.1 innings. They hit for a .189 batting average.
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