Padres know experience matters in the playoffs, where you 'live and die on every single pitch'

Growing up, Padres pitcher Nestor Cortes watched legends like Curt Schilling, Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens take the ball in the playoffs.

“Game 1, Game 4, Game 7,” he said, noting how they’d pitch on short rest.

So when the New York Yankees faced the Cleveland Guardians in the 2022 American League Division Series and a rainout postponed Game 5, Cortes found himself in a similar situation.

Jameson Taillon had been scheduled to start. Yankees manager Aaron Boone called an audible, handing the ball to Cortes on three days’ rest with the season on the line. Cortes had already pitched in Game 2, allowing two runs in five innings.

“’Booney’ called me into his office and he was like, ‘Hey, you’re going tomorrow. Give us whatever you got,’” Cortes said. “That was my moment of like, ‘Holy (b