No Yankee has won the MVP during the Joe Torre Era, but Gary Sheffield might break that drought – provided his shoulder holds up.
Yesterday, Sheffield decided against getting the two cortisone shots he needs on his aching left shoulder, preferring to wait at least until the team’s next home off-day on Monday, Aug. 30. Sheffield declined to speak with reporters about the decision.
Sheffield was in the lineup last night at DH, as Torre elected to give his team’s most vital bat at least half a day off against the Angels. The Yankee manager knows Sheffield can play through considerable pain and wasn’t going to second-guess the decision to eschew the shots.
“I leave it up to him,” Torre said. “He certainly knows his body better than I do.”
On Thursday night, Sheffield continued to carry the Bombers on his shoulders (make that shoulder, since he’s playing with bursitis in his left shoulder and a pulled trapezius muscle), smashing two homers and driving in five runs in a 13-10 comeback victory in Minnesota.
Sheffield’s lethal game-tying homer with one out in the ninth off the heretofore airtight Twins closer Joe Nathan was another signature moment in a special season.
“I don’t think anybody can get a real flavor of what he means to this team unless they sit and watch him every day,” Torre said. “You can look at the stats, and sure they’re impressive.
“But you really have to watch how many of those runs that he’s knocked in . . . how significant they were.”
During the dog days of summer, Sheffield has maintained his consistent lethality. He entered the series with the Angels batting .296 with 30 homers and 91 RBIs.
He led the AL with 95 runs, was tied for the league lead in homers and was seventh in RBIs.
After hitting only one homer in April and four in May, the 35-year-old has been torrid since the weather turned. In June, he hit eight homers and drove in 25. In July, he mashed 10 homers and drove in 24. And thus far this month, he’s bashed seven round-trippers and knocked in 14.
If the season ended today, however, Anaheim’s Vladimir Guerrero might win the MVP award with numbers of .325, 27 and 94. Torre dismissed talk of the award, saying, “We worry about that stuff later.
“I know everybody in the clubhouse respects the hell out of [Sheffield], and there’s no higher tribute that you get paid,” Torre added.
Other GMs around the league with candidates of their own praised Sheffield yesterday. Cleveland GM Mark Shapiro, whose main MVP candidate is Indians DH Travis Hafner (.315, 23 HRs, 91 RBIs), said of Sheffield: “He hits all year long. He’s an outstanding fielder and an elite contributor, and now he’s doing it on the biggest stage [in New York].”
Detroit GM Dave Dombrowski touted the intangibles of Pudge Rodriguez (.325, 16, 68) but knows Sheffield from when both were with the Marlins.
“His ability speaks for itself,” Dombrowski said. “He certainly seems to get big hits night in and night out.”
Don Mattingly was the last Yankee to win the MVP in 1985, and if the Angels win the wild card, that drought might continue.
“Vladie has been everything that was billed,” Anaheim manager Mike Scioscia said. “This guy works at what he does, and he’s terrific at it.”
Scioscia holds Sheffield in a similarly high regard.
“Sheff’s an incredible talent,” he said. “Much like I talk about Vlad, he’s been everything he was billed to be.”
