During Bally Sports North’s broadcast of the Twins-Tigers game Thursday afternoon, analyst Jim Kaat referred to New York Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes Jr. as “Nestor the Molester.”
“‘Nestor the Molester,’ Nestor Cortes,” Kaat said, actually glowing about the New York left-hander’s skills. “Man, he is fun to watch.”
Jim Kaat's nickname for Nestor Cortes is "Nestor the Molestor" 😬 pic.twitter.com/ezLhcPBXSB
— MLB Errors (@mlberrors) June 2, 2022
Cortes, who pitched seven shutout innings against the Angels Thursday, heard about Kaat’s comment and took the high road when asked to react.
“I’m sure, you know, he didn’t really mean it, and people make mistakes, but it didn’t offend me at all,” Cortes said, according to The Associated Press. “So, you know, I don’t really have anything more than just that, honestly.”
This marks the second time since October that the 83-year-old broadcaster, who spent 15 of his 25 MLB seasons pitching for the Twins, has made an insensitive comment during an MLB broadcast.
Last October during a playoff game between the Astros and White Sox, Kaat and fellow commentator Buck Showalter were discussing Yoan Moncada’s All-Star-level skillset.
“First time I saw him in the big leagues, I looked around the dugout and said ‘Can we have one of those?'” Showalter joked. “That’s what [an All-Star] looks like.”
“Get a 40-acre field full of them.” Kaat responded, an apparent reference to the slavery era. The remark was met with backlash on social media before Kaat apologized later in the broadcast
Kaat apologized later in the game.
“I want to add a little break here,” Kaat said, per Yahoo Sports. “In fact, I need to read this right now, because earlier in the game when Yoán Moncada was at the plate in an attempt to compliment the great player, I used a poor choice of words that resulted in a sensitive hurtful remark. And I’m sorry.”
For the record, Yankees fans have given Cortes the nickname of “Nasty Nestor,” which is fitting because he’s one of the best pitchers in baseball at 5-1 with a 1.50 ERA.
Cortes is scheduled to make his next start against the Twins at Target Field on Tuesday.
