 He's really been doing it all season long, but what stood out to you about the way Nester was throwing this afternoon? He was the strikeout ball right away. I mean, he was throwing his heater past people. You know, I think his pitch selection was really good. You know, it seemed like they looked cutter sometimes. And he was throwing the fastball. And vice versa, I thought he and Higgy were on a really good page together. And I just thought he was really, you know, really efficient, and stuff was coming out really good. He's finished the season with the best ERA for a Yankee starter since Ron Guidry in 1978. He had a huge ovation when he walked off the mound. Just what do you think that meant to him, and what has he meant to you guys throughout the course of the season? Yeah, I mean, he's been huge. You know, I mean, I know that, understandably, the fan base loves him, you know, and he loves, he loves wearing the pinstripes and playing here, and pitching here, and performing here. There's a pretty neat ovation that he received when he came off, really to finish off what's been a great regular season for him, where, you know, as I said before the game, you know, one of those guys that is really instrumental in us being in this situation right now. Who else? Dan and... Is that why you left him out there for the eighth, Nester, to get that ovation? Or was that not it? Might have had something to do with it. But I wanted him to go out and get a hitter out. And with Judge, were you at all surprised, you know, that Baltimore being eliminated now didn't go after him more? I think the one to lead off the, whatever, seventh inning there. Yeah, a little surprised at that one. Otherwise, look, I think it's a hard situation to be in as a pitcher, you know, and it's probably very unique to be in a pitcher where you're striking that balance between I wanna attack him, but it's the best hitter in the world, and my job is to get him out. Like, you know, I get the conflict there, and that's probably a little bit weird for every pitcher, you know, and I think overall what we've seen, you know, over the last couple of weeks is for the most part, to varying degrees. Guys have, you know, gone after him in spots, you know, leading off the inning there. I thought that was one where they might go after him a little bit more. It seemed like he kind of ran from it a little bit, but I totally respect that it's a tough situation to be in, you know, as an opponent. Pete. All right now, Cortez's remains so unpredictable against hitters all season. How much of a weapon can that be in postseason? You mean just pitch selection or? Yeah, pitch selection, and even the different looks and angles he gives. Yeah, look, you know, I sometimes, you know, he does the one funky windup today, you know, one of 90-something pitches. Sometimes I think we focus on that too much and get away from just how really good of a pitcher he is. That's certainly a part of what he does from time to time. I thought today, using some different angles, right from Jump Street, where he dropped down and used both his slider and his fastball, he was really effective when he did kind of go to, you know, where he uses some deception. I thought he was really sharp when he did it today. And it's, you know, it's a weapon for him, but the funky ones that he pulls out every now and then, you know, I think sometimes we run a little bit too much to that being the story, as opposed to a guy with really good stuff that's really on top of his game. Randy. Given that Nestor has been your most consistent starter this year and Garrett has had some struggles lately, is there a conversation possibly that could come whether Nestor could be your game one starter for the playoffs? We'll see when that comes. We're still trying to get through the regular season and got to prepare for what opponent, you know, and hopefully we're going into different rounds and it doesn't always line up, so we'll have those conversations. I think Nestor is three and two thirds innings shy of qualifying for the ERA. It sounds like you're saying that he's not gonna start anymore. If that's the case, how will you keep him sharp? Some live BPs or how would that work? Yeah, I mean, he'll have to throw live and we'll do some simulated stuff with him on those off days. Ron and Chris, or Susan? Go ahead, Susan. How impressive is what judge is doing with discipline and never really going outside his plan? It's been remarkable. It really has, you know. Yeah, I mean, really it's, you know, I know I've uttered this phrase before, but it's Mike Schmidt used to tell me when I was a kid, take what the game gives you. And Aaron does a great job of that. You know, you can't go, you start chasing for it, you get yourself in trouble and he knows that. So his job is to go up and have a plan and try to execute and control the strike zone, which he's done at such a special level with all this going around him. Ron and Chris? Is there any conscious discussion on the bench to take advantage when they pitch around him, putting him on base, leading off he had a three run first when he got a hit, four runs when he walked in the seventh? I mean, yeah, we were pretty spirited there and, you know, in the seventh when he led off there and we start putting together a rally. That's, there's some gratification in that, you know, and I think the guys were kind of feeding off that, you know, lead off walk there. I think guys were feeling and wanting to make sure we cashed those in. And the baseball lifer in you, was there any feeling that it was sort of karma today? 61st anniversary, 61st Homer? No, I wasn't looking at it like that. I mean, you know, there's part of me that is looking at it through a fan's eye, like wanting them to do it and all that, but I wasn't necessarily looking at it as, you know, anniversaries and things like that. Right behind you, Ron. With all the attention that judge has gotten this year, do you feel like in a way Nester season has been overshadowed a little bit? I don't think the legend of Nester Cortez has been overshadowed at all. I think it's, you know, I think he is one of the stars of the All-Star game, one of the focal points of the All-Star game. I think he's as popular a figure, you know, as within this fan base. And I think this fan base certainly appreciates just what he's done for us the last really two seasons now and how good of a pitcher he's been for us. So, no, I don't think so at all. Laura. When Barry Bonds is going after his home run chase, he said that not getting a pitch to hit would sometimes wear him down during the game and over the course of the season. Are you ever concerned that the same could happen to judge, especially going into the playoffs? No, no, and look, the playoffs become a different animal altogether in a different scenario altogether. No, I think he would have worn down a long time ago and so, no, I'm not concerned about that. Meredith and Dan and Bob. Aaron, we've asked you over the past couple of days, if not weeks, about John Carlos Stanton and how he was looking at the plate, absolutely demolished a ball in that first inning. When you see that, what does that tell you as far as the way he's starting to lock in? Definitely good to see. You know, I know he wants to get some traction going here, heading into the postseason. Good to see him get a really good swing off to start off the day. I thought his next about, where he popped out to shallow right field, I thought he was on time, got the right swing off, just missed the pitch a little bit. And then he threw another hit out there. So hopefully these little things that start happening, can start moving him into a direction where, look, we've all seen him against the best in postseason situations. When it's locked in, it's a different level. So keep working, trying to get him there and hopefully today's a moving towards that. Aaron with a historic homerun like, Joe just trying to hit. Would you like to see him hit it here? You know, tomorrow's the last day, would it mean something different if it was here? Well, yeah, I mean, I think there's, excuse me, probably an added, yeah, something to do it in Yankee Stadium and the pinstripes. But that said, if he does it, period, 62 homers is gonna be 62 homers. I mean, that's, it'll be something you see for forever and ever. And I'm worried about the weather now, tomorrow too. So that could be an issue. Last one, Bob. Aaron, you touched on this a second ago. You said the playoffs are a different animal. Given that there will be no homerun record at stake, do you expect teams to go after, go right at Judge Moore in the playoffs than they are right now? Do you think he'll have more opportunities to do damage? Not necessarily, I don't think, you know, no, I don't think people are not going after him to, you know, there's, you can make a case over the last couple of weeks that there's been at bats where there's more of a case to go after him now as opposed to the postseason. You know, I'm sure there's gonna be situations where the other team is probably not gonna want him to beat them. But I don't think all of a sudden the postseason comes and they start just challenging Aaron Judge left and right. You know, I think they're gonna be careful regardless. In postseason, you know, you won't have the crowd booing the pitcher when he goes one and all, you know. Yeah, I mean. I'm sure that's rattled some of the pitchers, Judge's faith. I do think that has some of the pitch, like what I said at the start here, like I think it is a, I'm respectful of the unique nature of it that's gotta be a little weird for a pitcher where you're, you know, in a position where, well, I gotta go after him here, but I gotta get him out to, you know, it's probably a weird predicament to be in for a pitcher right now. Thank you.