MLB

Lowe throws four shutout innings in Yankees debut

Derek Lowe had struggled through the worst season of his career, and had pitched so poorly, by the time the Indians finally released him he said the ball was coming out of his hand like a mashed potato.

But last night, after a dazzling Pinstriped debut, four shutout innings in the Yankees’ 8-2 rout of the powerful Rangers?

“It had gravy on it,’’ quipped Lowe, who at 39 was out of baseball a week ago and last night held Texas to two hits with no walks and four strikeouts, including fanning Geovany Soto to end the game. “It couldn’t have gone any better … It was a pretty fun way to start your career here.’’

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He seemed far closer to ending his career just last week. After opening 7-3 with a 3.06 ERA through June 1, Lowe had been just 1-7 with an 8.76 ERA since, designated for assignment on Aug. 2 and then released.

But Lowe — a mad scientist with the mound as his lab — insists his tinkering in Fort Myers, Fla., and work with personal coach Chris Correnti helped him get his arm slot back.

“He’s the same guy I caught in L.A.,” said Russell Martin, a teammate of Lowe’s for three seasons with the Dodgers. “He had great stuff and kept getting better. He got a lot of swings-and-misses, so that’s a good sign.’’

“When you lose your deception, you’re in a world of hurt. I had to get back to hiding the ball better,’’ said Lowe, who joked he was throwing the speed limit by the end of the game. “You want to see the type of balls hit that you like, soft ground balls, but not a live batting practice pitcher, which I was. A way overpaid batting practice pitcher, by the way. But it’s over with, and we’ll move on.’’

So Lowe did, signing with the Yankees despite his worst season since 2004 — perhaps they remember all too well how that season ended. He went 14-12 with a 5.42 ERA and lost his starting job, only to come out of the Red Sox bullpen and hold the Bombers to one hit and one run in Boston’s ALCS Game 7 win.

There were 45,676 cheering Lowe on as he fanned Soto to earn a save and vault the Yankees past the Rangers for the AL’s best record.

“I hear a lot of people saying, ‘Derek, I love you,’ and I don’t know if that’s for me or for Jeter,’’ Lowe cracked. “It was pretty cool … they said, ‘Hey, go out for the ninth,’ and my pea brain said, ‘Hey, I can manage to pick up a cheap save here.’ ’’

He did just that.

“That’s great, [it] saves our bullpen,’’ manager Joe Girardi said. “Sinker was really good, only used two guys. Against Texas, you don’t do that too often. [He] got a lot of groundball outs. That’s the Derek Lowe I remember.’’