- Former President Donald Trump held a rally in Hialeah, Florida, on Wednesday
- During his speech, the Republican candidate referred to Nestor Cortes
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Donald Trump’s Florida rally took a surreal turn Wednesday when he gave a shoutout to New York Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes Jr.
The former president, who is campaigning to return to the White House ahead of next year’s elections, addressed a crowd of supporters in Hialeah.
Even as his rivals took part in a Republican debate down the road in Miami, Trump took time to attack his fellow presidential hopefuls.
“A great pitcher for the New York Yankees,” Trump said in clips that flooded social media Wednesday evening.
“They call him the Hialeah boy. Nestor Cortés, where is Nestor? He’s a great pitcher, he’s got that fastball.”
Donald Trump’s Florida rally took a surreal turn when he introduced Nestor Cortes Jr
The pitcher grew up in Hialeah after his father won the visa lottery and came over from Cuba
Cortes grew up in Hialeah after his father won the “visa lottery” and brought the family over from Cuba when the future pitcher was just seven months old.
Trump’s comments fueled speculation that the Yankees player was in the crowd in Hialeah, but that was not immediately clear.
Trump’s comments nonetheless prompted some hilarious reactions from stunned baseball fans.
“Donald Trump gave Nestor Cortes a shoutout at his rally tonight. The matrix is glitching,” someone wrote on social media. “There’s no way we’re not living in a simulation,” said another.
“He’s a great pitcher, he’s got that fastball,” Trump said of Cortes during Wednesday’s rally
One user wrote: A crossover between Donald Trump and Nestor Cortes Jr. is somehow not the most shocking Yankees development of the past two days. The offseason is off to a great start.”
Trump’s shoutout came shortly after more bizarre baseball news emerged.
Earlier on Wednesday, it was reported that more than 30 of the approximately 300 officials at Major League Baseball’s annual General Managers Meetings in Arizona had come down with an apparent stomach flu.
The cause of the outbreak is currently unknown, but it is suggested that it could be food-borne illness from Tuesday’s lunch buffet or a virus.
Nearly every team in the league has been affected by this Sports illustratedwhile the league office has seen eight people fall ill.