Nestor Cortes puzzled about being removed from public park during baseball practice
New York Yankees All-Star Nestor Cortes had a disappointing experience recently when he was refused access to a public park in Hialeah, Florida, for baseball practice without prior notice.
He took to Twitter to express his grievance.
"Probably shouldn’t be making a big deal out of this. But the public park I grew up on and is very close to my house just told me I couldn’t play catch because the field was rented out for soccer. Mind you I was standing on the baseball field. Luckily I was done," wrote Nestor.
@cityofhialeahProbably shouldn’t be making a big deal out of this. But the public park I grew up on and is very close to my house just told me I couldn’t play catch because the field was rented out for soccer. Mind you I was standing on the baseball field. Luckily I was done 😂 @cityofhialeah
However, he was not willing to lose hope and thought of trying again next week.
I love my city so next week I will try again. 😂
Nestor's comments on Twitter didn't take much time to hit the press.
The El Nuevo Herald, a newspaper published daily in Spanish in Southeast Florida, approached the municipal authorities to understand the situation at Hialeah's Goodlet Park.
The mayor of the city, Esteban Bovo Jr., explained that Nestor Cortés was practicing with an MLB player on the baseball diamond until the ball flew and almost hit a boy who was playing on the soccer field.
As such, Cortes was asked to leave.
"They almost hit a boy who was playing soccer with a ball. The soccer team had already rented the land and possibly Néstor had not notified the park administration that he was practicing."
Once the mayor's statements were published by the El Nuevo Herald, Nestor quoted the article and wrote:
"I consider myself professional enough to know when a child or any person is in danger during my preparation. In addition, I do not have to notify anyone that I am going to use a public park that is maintained with the taxes that Hialeah residents pay."
@elnuevoherald @Yankees @VeroEgui Yo me concidero bastante professional para saber cuando un niño o cualquier persona esté en peligro durante mi preparación. Aparte yo no tengo que notificarle a nadie que voy a usar un parque público que se mantiene con los taxes que pagamos los residente de hialeah.
Clearly, Cortes was disappointed with how things unfolded.
New York Yankees All-Star pitcher Nestor Cortes' MLB journey
The New York Yankees selected Nestor Cortés in the 36th round of the 2013 MLB draft. Four years later, the Baltimore Orioles selected Cortés from the Yankees in the 2017 Rule 5 draft.
In March 2018, the star pitcher made his MLB debut with the Baltimore Orioles. But in April, they designated Cortés for assignment and returned him to the Yankees.
Cortes was dealt to the Seattle Mariners seven months after signing with the Yankees, however, on October 22, 2020, he was outrighted off the 40-man roster. Next, Cortes chose free agency after being reinstated from the 60-day injury list.
Finally, Nestor Cortes and the New York Yankees agreed to a minor league deal on December 20, 2020. The Yankees promoted him to the major leagues five months later, and he is still a member of the team today.
Nestor Cortes was drafted by the @yankees in the 36th round of the 2013 draft.
He spent time with multiple organizations before returning to the Yankees in 2021.
After a stellar start to 2022, he’s now an MLB All-Star for the first time👏👏 https://t.co/7cD14ltwTH
"After a stellar start to 2022, he’s now an MLB All-Star for the first time." - CBS Sports
MLB fans will witness Nestor Cortes representing Team USA in the World Baseball Classic in March, before the start of the regular season.