BALTIMORE -- Athletics outfielder Carlos Cortes being listed as a switch-thrower on his player page is no mistake.
Born a natural left-hander, Cortes learned how to throw right-handed when he was eight years old at the behest of his father, Juan, to increase his positional versatility.
Cortes was drafted by the Mets in 2018 as a second baseman, but he transitioned into a full-time outfielder after the 2019 season. Called up by the A’s last month for his Major League debut, the 28-year-old joked that he was “not a viable option at second base anymore,” but said he could play the infield in a pinch if needed.
What seemed like a far-fetched idea for Cortes turned into reality on Sunday afternoon.
Cortes entered the game as a defensive replacement for right fielder Brent Rooker in the bottom of the eighth inning. Because the A’s pinch-ran Lawrence Butler for third baseman Gio Urshela in a dramatic top of the ninth, which saw the A’s take a one-run lead over the Orioles on Willie MacIver’s two-run double, Cortes was the only player available with any type of infield experience.
Not only was Cortes asked to play infield in the ninth, he had to play third base, a position he’d never played at any level of professional baseball. So, you could imagine what was going through his mind when he received the request from manager Mark Kotsay.
“I was going to go to second,” Cortes said. “Then they told me to go to third, probably because there was a bunch of lefties coming up. I was cool with it. But I was nervous.”
With only a left-handed glove in his possession, Cortes borrowed utility player Max Schuemann’s infield glove and took the field. Prepared for anything to come his way, Cortes got through the inning without seeing action, as rookie Elvis Alvarado slammed the door on Baltimore for a 3-2 victory with a scoreless ninth to notch his first Major League win.
“Usually, when you get in, [the ball] comes at you,” Cortes said. “So, yeah [I was expecting one].”
The win capped a 4-2 road trip, and Sunday proved that while the A’s have performed as one of the top offenses in baseball this year, sometimes it’s the less-heralded players who can get it done, like Cortes – who made history without even seeing a single plate appearance or ball hit to him -- and MacIver.
“This was an old-fashioned team win,” Kotsay said. “Everyone contributed. We had an ambidextrous player switch hands and go on the infield. That just says a lot about the willingness to sacrifice for the team and put yourself in an uncomfortable position.”
MacIver had his fingerprints all over this one. He had an impressive sequence on defense in the fourth, making an impressive diving tag on Jeremiah Jackson trying to score from third on a sacrifice bunt by Greg Allen and later throwing Allen out while trying to steal second.
The catcher also helped navigate A’s No. 3 prospect Luis Morales through his Major League start. On a limited workload after shifting back from relieving to starting, the 22-year-old right-hander pitched around five walks by allowing no hits with four strikeouts in 2 2/3 scoreless innings.
“His stuff is nasty,” MacIver said of Morales. “He’s got an extremely bright future. His fastball and slider are electric. His changeup is great, too. Maybe a little nerves or didn’t have a great feel. … But I have the utmost confidence in that guy when he’s on the mound.”
Then there was Cortes. Sure, the A’s have had an ambidextrous pitcher before in Pat Venditte. But there is no documentation to track a previous situation across MLB in which a position player entered a game throwing with one hand and switching their throwing hand and position later in the same game.
In fact, Cortes and Brewers utility man Anthony Seigler are the first position players in the MLB database ever officially listed as switch-throwers. But Seigler has only played catcher and third base in the big leagues, making Cortes a one-of-one with Sunday’s feat.
For Cortes, it’s a fun story he’ll be able to tell for the rest of his life. More important for him, though, was a strong end to the road trip for the A’s, who are now 11-5 in their last 16 games and 12-10 since the All-Star break.
It was also a reminder to dig up his old infield glove once the team gets back home on Sunday night.
“I gotta bring my own glove now,” Cortes said with a laugh. “Just in case.”