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Volume 16 June/July 2004 Civil War Theme

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Email: The Highlander

Pitching: Problems and Answers.
Email: Harold Friend Website: Suite101

PITCHING IS THE name of the game. The Yankees have had Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Maris, Berra, Dickey, Jackson, O'Neill, Jeter and many other outstanding hitters, but pitching has carried them to most of their championships. The fact remains that if one's opponent doesn't score, he doesn't win.

The 2004 Yankees have a great lineup. With Jeter, Sheffield, Rodriguez, Matsui, Williams, Posada, and Giambi, the team is scoring runs. Few teams have a lineup that is as effective. What is disturbing is that after 86 games, the Yankees have a team earned run average of 4.46. The Red Sox, Twins, A's, and Angels pitchers all have done better.

In the playoffs, pitching wins. The Yankees starting rotation of Kevin Brown, Javier Vazquez, Mike Mussina, Jose Contreras and Jon Lieber have a combined ERA of 4.58. That is not good but may not be as bad as it appears. The only World Championship Yankees team with a season's ERA below 4.00 since 1996 was the 1998 team so this staff could be good enough in October.

Or maybe not.

In 1996 the Yankees had David Cone, Andy Pettitte, Jimmy Key and Kenny Rogers as starters. Cone and Pettitte were capable of shutting down the opposition almost completely in any given game and did just that to the Braves after the Yankees were down in games, 2-0. Cone won Game 3 with a dominating performance that was topped by Pettitte in Game 4 when he made a run off John Smoltz stand up for a critical 1-0 victory.

There are no guarantees. The Braves bombed Pettitte in Game 1 but the chance of a great game was always there with Pettitte, Cone, David Wells, and El Duque Hernandez. In 1998, the quartet stopped the Padres cold and the following year, even with Roger Clemens usurping David Wells' roster spot and having a poor regular season, the Yankees' starters shut down the Braves. The last championship came against the Mets and it was Pettitte, Clemens, and a great relief appearance by Cone that won it for the Yankees. Of course, one must not forget Mariano Rivera, who has been the lynchpin of all the championships.


The Yankees bullpen is strong. Mariano Rivera, Tom Gordon, and Paul Quantrill have done outstanding work but they have been overworked, primarily because the starters leave so soon.

This year's team has three pitchers who can overwhelm the opposition but there are big, big question marks. Kevin Brown is clearly the ace. Kevin Brown worries about his health. Kevin Brown is lost to injuries often. If Kevin Brown is healthy in October, the Yankees will be a very difficult team to beat in any short series. Kevin Brown is injured again.

Without Kevin Brown, Javier Vazquez becomes the ace. While he is a good pitcher, he gives up home runs and is not the intimidating force Brown is. Entering this season, in 191 starts, Vazquez has only 6 shutouts.

Mike Mussina has pitched some dominating games but this season there are murmurs that he has lost velocity off his fast ball. He has become very hittable with an obscene ERA of 5.20 and has allowed 131 hits in 107 1/3 innings. That is not good. He is on the disabled list with a bad arm, which may be more serious than is being reported.

Jose Contreras has pitched well recently and he can be dominating, but he is still a major question mark. Since his family "escaped" from Cuba, Contreras has pitched much better and it may be that not being lonesome and/or guilty because he is here and they were there will be a panacea.

Finally, Jon Leiber is a project in the works. He has excellent control but with his limited talent he cannot afford to make a mistake and as everyone knows, everyone makes mistakes. Leiber has a 4.77 ERA and has allowed 104 hits in only 83 innings.

The Yankees bullpen is strong. Mariano Rivera, Tom Gordon, and Paul Quantrill have done outstanding work but they have been overworked, primarily because the starters leave so soon. At the halfway mark, all are on a pace for over 80 appearances. If that occurs, what will the trio have left for October? And of course, there is still the need for a lefty relief pitcher not named Heredia.

Randy Johnson may hold the key to the entire season. If he becomes a Yankee they will be overwhelming favorites to win the World Series, but that doesn't mean they will. The playoff schedule and the results of the first round affect the pitching rotation for the second round, which affects the World Series rotation.

If the Yankees acquire Johnson's services and things break favorably with Johnson opening the World Series, with Brown for Game 2 and Vazquez for Game 3 in the National League park, Mussina becomes a one game starter and the Yankees will have a great chance. But if the Yankees need Johnson to pitch the deciding game of the second round, it may be a different story. If Brown is unable to pitch, it may be a different story.

George Steinbrenner has been criticized unfairly for doing whatever is possible, within baseball's existing structure to win. Too bad. Those who want to criticize can do so to their heart's delight. The beleaguered Boss knows that no guarantees exist. He also knows the importance of starting pitching. George Steinbrenner cannot be blamed for trying to get every possible edge. It is his money and he is still allowed to spend it as he sees fit.

Harold is a science teacher who loves baseball. Actually, he is a self described "baseball fan who became a science teacher because he couldn't hit or throw." He has been involved with the New York City Education system in various capacities since 1962 and he received his doctorate in science education from NYU in 1968. He credits Casey Stengel with being responsible for his first baseball "degree," and in 1998, Joe Torre and Don Zimmer saw to it that he received the advanced version. For that he says, "I cannot thank them enough."



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