Nestor Cortes experienced a surreal moment on Opening Day. Now a member of the Milwaukee Brewers, Cortes realized he didn’t know how to get to the visitors clubhouse at Yankee Stadium, which he called home for parts of five MLB seasons, including each of the last four. His confusion was understand able, considering Thursday marked Cortes’ first time back at the stadium since the Yankees traded him to Milwaukee less than four months ago. “Once we landed and bussed into the city, it brought back some good memories,” Cortes said. “I miss it a little, but everything’s good.” The left-handed Cortes is set to start Saturday afternoon against his former team, which sent him to the Brewers along with infield prospect Caleb Durbin for closer Devin Williams in December. The trade didn’t shock Cortes, who was aware that the Yankees’ signing of Max Fried gave them a starting-pitching surplus that also included Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt, Luis Gil and Marcus Stroman. “I wouldn’t say surprised,” said Cortes, who now sports platinum hair with a hint of purple. “I knew something had to be done. I didn’t know if I was involved in it, but I knew something had to be done. We had a lot of starters, and the team had a lot of needs.” Cortes was celebrating his 30th birthday in Las Vegas when the trade went down. He realized something was happening when he noticed numerous missed calls, including ones from Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone. “It was tough to take that all in because I was on vacation,” Cortes said. “It was my birthday, and the news just popped up. I guess it didn’t really hit me until I left Vegas and I was back home and I ordered Brewer gear. I was like, ‘OK, so this is it now.’” The Yankees drafted Cortes in the 36th round of the 2013 MLB Draft, but it wasn’t until his third stint with the organization that he finally stuck. He pitched to a 3.33 ERA over 93 games, including 84 starts, with the Yankees from 2021-24, earning an All-Star selection in 2022. “He’s a great pitcher and someone that’s experienced a lot in the game,” Brewers star Christian Yelich told the Daily News. “We’re excited to have him. He gives you a chance to win every time he’s out there.” Cortes missed about five weeks in September and October with a left elbow flexor strain, but he worked his way back in time to return as a reliever on the Yankees’ World Series roster. He suffered the loss in Game 1 of that series when he surrendered a walk-off grand slam to Los Angeles Dodgers star Freddie Freeman, then pitched 1.2 scoreless innings in Game 3 in what proved to be his final appearance as a Yankee. The Dodgers won the series in five games. “The way it ended, it’s gonna be something that not only them but myself have to live with,” Cortes said. “Obviously, it didn’t go the way that we wanted it to, but overall, the four-and-a-half years that I was in the big leagues with the Yankees, I can take a lot of positives. Thinking back on how my career there was, they watched me grow up. I became who I became with the Yankees.” Cortes still has a vested interest in the Yankees. His childhood friend, catcher J.C. Escarra, made the Yankees’ Opening Day roster, capping a long journey that included playing five seasons in the minors; others in the American Association, the Atlantic League and in Puerto Rico, Mexico and Dominican Republic; and even working as an Uber driver and substitute teacher. Escarra and Cortes are both from Hialeah, Fla., though they attended different high schools. They both spent time in the Orioles organization in 2018. “Me and Nestor are very, very close,” Escarra said Thursday. “I grew up with him since we were four years old, playing against each other, with each other, Little League, travel ball teams. I’m good friends with his family. [He’s friends with] my family. For both of us, we wish that we were on the same team, but to be playing against each other today, it means the world.” When Escarra, 29, appears in his first game, it will mark his MLB debut. That could come against Cortes. “He said he wanted a fastball, first pitch,” Cortes said. “I said if he got a base hit, he better get picked off at first base.” Whether Escarra is in the lineup or not, Cortes is ready to face the Yankees, who are set to send Fried to the mound Saturday for his team debut. “Excited about the opportunity,” Cortes said. “Excited to face those guys, see where I match up against them.” ...read more read less