NEW YORK — Yankees Pitcher Nestor Cortes Jim Kaat, a broadcaster and Hall of Fame pitcher, was presented with the franchise’s Lifetime Achievement Award. This award came three weeks after Kaat made an offensive remark about New York’s most prominent left-hander.
Kaat, an 83-year old, called the pitcher the “Nestor Molester” during the aforementioned game. Minnesota Twins Cortes reached out to him to apologize after the telecast. Cortes later told The Associated Press that he didn’t take offense, and then tweeted to confirm that he had accepted Kaat’s apology.
Cortes wrote, “Jim Kaat spent a whole lifetime playing this game we love.” “He reached out and apologized to me for his last-minute comment, but he didn’t need to. Everyone makes mistakes, and we all feel 100% that there was no malice. I will lift him up through this tweet, and I hope other people do the same. Jim, don’t sweat it!
Cortes presented Kaat an award near home plate by Cortes to commemorate the opening of New York’s four-game series against Kaat. Houston Astros. Kaat was a Yankees longtime commentator and pitched for 25 seasons.
Kaat was assigned to broadcast Thursday’s game along with Bob Costas (play-by-play) for MLB Network.
Kaat pitched 44 games for the Yankees, going 2-4 and posting a 4.12 ERA.
After an offensive comment he made last October on air, he also apologized. He said that teams should “try to get a 40-acre field filled with” players who look like him. Chicago White Sox infielder Yoan Moncada.
Moncada’s comment reminded viewers of the promise that the U.S. government had made to slaves after the Civil War, which was never fulfilled. Later, he apologized for his comments about Moncada during the game between the White Sox and Astros.
“Earlier in game Yoan Moncada had been at the plate. I tried to compliment the great player he’s, but I made a poor selection of words that resulted into an insensitive and hurtful comment,” he said. “I’m sorry.”