ANAHEIM – A month ago, as he waited for the final days of spring training to tick down, Yankee prospect Jason Anderson expected to be closing games for Triple-A Columbus.
Then Mariano Rivera popped a groin muscle, and Yank manager Joe Torre wasn’t convinced Randy Choate could throw enough strikes to left-handed hitters.
So when the Yankees broke camp, Anderson went with them to Toronto.
“This is great, but I hope I can get to pitch in a game at Yankee Stadium,” the 23-year-old rookie right-hander said at the time.
In three weeks, the hard-throwing Anderson has gone from the last man on Torre’s staff, to moving past Sterling Hitchcock, to being an arm that intrigues Torre and pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre.
And Tuesday night, Anderson’s role in the Yankee universe increased dramatically when veteran right-handed reliever Antonio Osuna strained a right groin muscle and was forced to leave an 8-3 Yankees victory over the Angels at Edison Field.
“This moves Jason Anderson into a more prominent role,” Torre said Tuesday night before he knew how serious Osuna’s problem was.
Yesterday, the Yankees placed Osuna on the DL and promoted veteran righty Al Reyes from Columbus (Triple-A).
Reyes, 32, has pitched for four major-league clubs and was a late spring training release by the Pirates, for whom he appeared in 15 games for last season.
He is expected to be around until Rivera returns from the DL. That could be early next week provided there are no further setbacks.
Anderson, who has impressed with his courage but has been prone to wildness, takes over Osuna’s role of right-handed setup man that became open when Steve Karsay’s right shoulder was invaded by bursitis early in spring training.
In six games going into last night’s action, Anderson worked 42/3 innings, gave up five hits, four walks (one intentional) and fanned four.
“There are no more nerves left,” Anderson said. “Now I am going on adrenaline.”
Said Osuna: “I felt it pop on the last pitch. In 1996, I had the same thing and I was out for 1½ months. I don’t want to go on the DL. We already have two relievers [Rivera and Karsay] on the DL. I don’t want to be laid up.”
But watching Osuna limp around the clubhouse after the game and the lobby of the team hotel later in the evening it was easy to see he was headed for the shelf with a 1-1 record and 1.59 ERA in nine games.
Meanwhile, nothing slows down the Yankees. The rift between Joe Torre and George Steinbrenner? Forget it. Losing three veteran relievers in less than six weeks? Nope. Playing the defending World Series champions, who shocked the Yankees in last year’s ALDS? Hardly.
Tuesday night’s victory was the Yankees’ sixth straight, and improved the best record in the majors to 17-3. Jorge Posada stroked a two-run homer, his sixth homer of the tear, and Bernie Williams and Jason Giambi each drove in a pair of runs.
Pumped to impress a large contingent of family and friends who live in the area, Jeff Weaver was over-amped and battled through 61/3 innings in which he gave up three runs and nine hits. Weaver improved to 2-0, and Yankee starters were 15-0 when Roger Clemens took the ball last night.
