BOSTON – He has pitched only once since Sept. 22. But Orlando Hernandez is ready to take the ball tomorrow night.
“I feel happy,” El Duque said. “[Yesterday was] much better than last week.”
The Yankees, too, are undoubtedly relieved, as Hernandez’s green light means the Yankees will not have to give Javier Vazquez the start in what could turn out to be a crucial Game 4.
Instead, the Yankees will hand the ball to Hernandez, the man who is lifetime 9-3 with a 2.51 ERA in the playoffs.
“Experience,” Joe Torre said yesterday in touting El Duque’s main credential. “Duque has this postseason experience and we feel that he’s healthy enough to try this.”
Ah, yes – Duque’s health. That’s been the main issue regarding the veteran righthander over the past month. Hernandez has been suffering from dead arm, and in his last start, he was rocked for five runs in three innings against the Blue Jays on Oct. 1.
El Duque did not pitch in the ALDS, and there was no guarantee he’d be ready to go against the Sox in this round either. But on Monday, he threw an impressive bullpen session, convincing Torre and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre that he was making long enough strides to get back into the mound mix.
“He said it’s really a pretty good step up from what we’ve been seeing,” Torre said.
“I feel good,” Hernandez said, before addressing the issue of how many pitches he might be able to throw. “I don’t know how many pitches. You never know. Maybe 100. Maybe 110. You never know.”
Still, while Hernandez probably represents the Yankees’ best option, he’ll certainly need to be closely monitored. Reason one is because of his health. Reason two is because of the possible weather. There’s a chance of rain this weekend, and as Torre said, “The danger of starting and stopping could mean that you may need that extra starter.”
Enter Vazquez, who allowed five runs in five innings in his ALDS Game 4 start last week. Vazquez, who said he last pitched in the bullpen in 1998, admitted to being disheartened with the decision but said he’d be ready to pitch in long relief.
“I’m disappointed,” he said. “Sure, I wanted to start. But I understand. I just want to win. I want to help the team in whatever role I can.”
