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BALTIMORE — Nestor Cortes will have a keepsake to remember Sunday’s immaculate inning by — even if it took some bartering from Gerrit Cole.

After Cortes struck out the side on nine pitches in the fourth inning against the Orioles, catcher Kyle Higashioka jogged off the field and tossed the ball into the stands behind the Yankees’ dugout at Camden Yards.

Higashioka immediately faced some grief upon entering the dugout — with Cole and other teammates appearing to chant “shame” and “a– hole” in his direction.

But Cole was able to retrieve the ball from the stands, giving the fan who caught it another ball (perhaps with his signature on it) in exchange for the game ball.


  Nestor Cortes AP Nestor Cortes AP

Cortes’ immaculate inning came amid a stretch of six straight strikeouts. He later exited the game in the sixth inning with a new career-high of 12 strikeouts, surpassing the 11 punchouts he recorded against the Orioles last September.

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