UPDATE: The Yankees announced that Cortes left the game with a groin injury.
Nestor Cortes was handed a 3-0 lead in the third inning of game four, but after serving up a game-tying three-run home run and a second visit from the training staff, he was pulled in the top of the third with an apparent injury.
Cortes initially told Aaron Boone he was OK earlier in the inning, but the lefty walked two straight batters for the first time all season before giving up the home run to red-hot Astros rookie Jeremy Pena, his last pitch of the night, and potentially his season.
It was an inning where Cortes’ average fastball velocity dropped nearly 3 mph from the first two innings.
It would be a deflating end to a resurgent season where Cortes was an All-Star after being an MLB afterthought, becoming the Yankees’ most consistent starter all season before propelling the Yanks into the ALCS with his performance in game five of the ALDS on short rest.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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