BOSTON – Alex Rodriguez is a lock to win the AL MVP. But because of the position he plays, catcher Jorge Posada may be the most indispensable Yankee. That’s why it was scary to see Posada get knocked over by Eric Hinske in a violent sixth-inning collision at the plate yesterday in a 10-1 Yankees loss at Fenway Park.
While awaiting Robinson Cano’s throw, Posada braced for the collision with Hinske, who was running from third, by putting his entire body in front of the plate. That gave Hinske no other option but to try and dislodge the ball from Posada’s glove. An elbow-first dive into Posada didn’t jar the ball loose and Hinkse was called out.
Posada was shook up and took a few minutes to clear his head. He stayed in the game but left after the seventh and was taken to Mass General Hospital for tests. A CT scan of Posada’s neck and head were negative. He is listed as day to day.
“He got his bell rang pretty good,” Joe Torre said. “Hopefully he is good (today). He had a headache. As they continued to score the headache got worse. We sent him to the hospital. Dr. (Stuart) Hershon wasn’t that concerned.”
Torre said he didn’t think it was dirty play by Hinske.
“That was clean, that was a bang-bang play,” Torre said.
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Knowing an extra day of rest can’t hurt 45-year-old Roger Clemens and 22-year-old Ian Kennedy, Torre is going to a modified six-man rotation in which he will try and keep Chien-Ming Wang and Andy Pettitte as close to on schedule as possible.
“It will be Phil Hughes, Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte for Baltimore,” Torre said of the pitchers that follow Clemens tonight in the season finale against the Red Sox. “Then it will probably be Wang and Kennedy.”
With Thursday dark on the schedule that means Wang will start Friday and Kennedy Saturday against the Blue Jays with Clemens going Sunday on six days rest. Kennedy, who pitched brilliantly this past Thursday in Toronto, will be working on eight days rest. That’s OK with Torre, who understands minor league pitching coordinator Nardi Contreras has taken steps to protect the young arms of Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and Kennedy, who there are no restrictions on yet but whose innings are being closely monitored.
“Because of where he is innings wise, it will probably help him to get extra time,” Torre said of the right-handed Kennedy, who threw 1461/3 frames in three minor league stops and has worked 19 in three big league outings. “The organization as defined how many innings they want these kids to pitch.”
Torre said he hasn’t been told Kennedy is approaching his limit.
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Derek Jeter‘s home run in the first inning was his 193rd career homer, moving him past Tino Martinez into 13th place on the all-time Yankee list. Bill Dickey, with 202, is in 12th place.
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Roger Clemens (6-6; 4.45 ERA) draws Curt Schilling (8-7; 3.93) tonight.