Congratulations to the New York Yankees who cruised to a 7-0 victory over the Miami Marlins.

The club accomplished this feat on Monday night, but let’s just say that the post-game buzz wasn’t only about the win. It was about the emergence of a new hero in pinstripes. To attest that, Juan Soto, who is a newcomer himself, rose to the occasion.

The subject of discussion was Nestor Cortes Jr., the man who covered for Gerrit Cole in his absence. All eyes were on Cortes since he was picked by manager Aaron Boone to be the ace. And guess what? Nasty Nestor has been “incredible”! Soto knows it.

USA Today via Reuters

Juan Soto Appreciates Cortes For His “Incredible” Performance As An Ace

Against the Marlins, he delivered a dominant performance as he tossed eight scoreless innings. But this wasn’t just any outing – it was the longest that any Yankees starter recorded this year. Moreover, it was the first eight-inning effort by a New York pitcher since ‘Cole Train’ in September of 2023.

What’s further impressive is that the Yankees 1-year-rental Juan Soto said “He’s our ace right now and he’s been doing a great job as an ace”. The fact that he was able to collect praise from the celebrated newcomer speaks volumes about how well Cortes might fare in the days to come overcoming the image of a sub-par previous season.

Well the praises are not just one way. There’s no denying that Soto has been great. So much so that even fellow players took note. One can say for sure that Soto’s arrival has instilled a different mentality in the Bronx Bombers. His presence in conjunction with reinforcements to the bullpen and rotation, has Cortes feeling positive.

Nestor Cortes Jr. Shared His Opinion On Juan Soto

Addressing the strong season start that the Yankees had, Cortes appreciated all the changes that the Yanks did. Specifically, he underscored the onboarding of players like Juan Soto. In addition to that he also commended the improvements to the bullpen and rotation. Precisely, his words were “Obviously, I didn’t like how we finished last year, picking up Soto this year, adding some guys into the pen, and adding some guys in the rotation. So like I said, a mix of everything.”

With that, one can that the Yankees have buoyed by a strong starting pitching performance along with a revitalized team spirit. With Cortes owning his new role as an ace and Soto’s flaming addition to the line-up, the Yankee Stadium might just be witnessing the rise of the newfound dynasty.