TELL the Tigers he’s a toad.
Hideki Irabu, the Japanese import Detroit has most dreaded since the Toyota, has a Motown Mojo. Put the Tigers in front of him and Irabu becomes everything his pre-arrival press clippings said he would be.
Irabu tamed the Tigers again last night, authoring an overpowering three-hitter in a 6-0 Yankee triumph. But more and more, Irabu is giving the indication with his pitches and poise that his talent will not be unleashed against one foe alone.
In a major-league career that began with a July 10, 1997 triumph over the Tigers, Irabu has gone 5-0 with a 1.35 ERA against Detroit and 18-16 with a 5.43 ERA vs. everyone else.
However, since May 25, Ira has not lost, going 4-0 with a 2.79 ERA in six starts. And the Tigers were the opposition in that period only last night.
These days when Joe Tore is asked about whether he will stick by a struggling starter, it is Andy Petite that the manager defends. Ira, after all the hype and heartbreak, has settled in as a non-controversial, steady performer, which means he finally has matched the professionalism of his surroundings.
Give credit to cooler organizational heads such as minor league chief Mark Newsman and aide Billy Condors, who preached patience toward Ira after the spring-training mess that mushroomed into a war between George Steinbrenner and Don Zimmer. Sure, Irabu did not cover first, but they said there was a brilliant arm there worth trying to rediscover. And they contended that Irabu was more embarrassed than indifferent from his failings and reacted poorly because of it.
The payoff was again evident last night, when Irabu’s stuff was electric. He struck out just four, but that seemed to be as much about Detroit realizing what he had and trying to hit early in the count. Irabu’s fastball flowed with menace from his deliberate delivery. He again froze hitters with a slow curve that floated over the plate. And, when he needed it, Irabu unleashed a fine splitter.
Maybe most impressive was that Irabu again exhibited confidence and presence on the mound, rather than the unsure aura he often displayed in the past. He got a signal from Jorge Posada and pitched – no pacing or stalling. All business. He was usually the first out of the dugout to begin the top of innings and he actually jumped out after Ricky Ledee walked with two down in the fourth thinking the third out had been registered.
That was about his lone goof. The Tigers did not manage a hit until Bobby Higginson singled with one out in the fourth and Irabu responded by retiring the next 10 batters. Then, to exemplify the point about how Detroit was attacking him, Tony Clark singled on the first pitch he saw with two out in the seventh, Juan Encarnacion doubled on the next pitch and Frank Catalanatto flied out to end the inning on the next pitch. All told, Irabu needed seven pitches to face five batters in the seventh.
He needed just seven more pitches to work the eighth and only 105 pitches overall to register the second complete-game shutout of his career.
If this is the real Irabu, then the implications are wonderful for the Yankees.
In the short term, Irabu, Orlando Hernandez and Roger Clemens all have pitched complete-game shutouts in the last nine games. Those three plus David Cone have all been pitching wonderfully of late. Should that continue, even with Pettitte’s inconsistencies, the Yankees are going to walk away with the AL East title. Their lead is three games now.
The long-term implication is this: Irabu is just 30 and could be an essential part of the Yankee staff for a long time. Clemens will be 37 in August and, regardless of how nice he and his agents have played since he arrived to the Yankees, Clemens can demand a trade at the end of the season.
Cone, 36, is a free agent at the end of the season. He has said he is willing to go on year-to-year contracts to stay a Yankee. But if he makes all his starts again and has the year he is on pace to, Cone might be more anxious to be paid like an ace than a guy who the Yankees are afraid is going to break down any second.
Hernandez is anywhere from 29 to 35 in age, a truth that could become more of a factor in the near future. Torre says he continues to believe in Pettitte, but the lefty’s troubles are now 1 seasons long and he no longer displays the confidence of a front-of-the-rotation bull.
So, suddenly, the toad is an important part of the present and future despite his past.
