The last time Phil Hughes took the mound at the Stadium, he was attempting to keep the Yankees’ season alive. Tonight, the pressure will not be nearly as formidable.
About the only reason there was a fourth game of the AL Division Series last October for the Yankees was Hughes’ relief performance in Game 3.
That night against the Indians, he fired 3-2/3 innings of shutout relief, after Roger Clemens hobbled into the Yankees’ clubhouse for the final time.
Now the expectations couldn’t be higher for Hughes, less than a year removed from his major league debut. He will face the Blue Jays tonight hoping to be Phil Huge for the first of many starts this season.
Despite the roars he heard upon his introduction on Opening Night, Hughes said he understands he still has to make believers of the fans.
“Especially in New York, you just can’t go out and have one or two good games and expect to have the fans behind you all the time,” Hughes said yesterday. “You’ve just got to go out and pitch well and prove you deserve any credit you do get.”
In 13 major league starts last year, Hughes went 5-3 with a 4.46 ERA, but it’s anybody’s guess what he might have done had he not missed half the season, after straining his left hamstring in a no-hit bid at Texas before spraining his left ankle during rehab drills in Tampa.
“I’m 100 percent healthy this year,” said Hughes, who returned to the Yankees in August. “At times last year it was shaky sometimes. Right now I don’t have any issues.”
Hughes said his legs didn’t completely return until September last year, part of the reason his mechanics were a mess following his comeback from the disabled list.
Any talk of the youth movement in the Yankees’ rotation begins with Hughes, at least until Joba Chamberlain is groomed for a starting job, as Hank Steinbrenner says will be the case, later in the season.
“What makes me think that [Hughes] can be successful in this league is he has three or four weapons that he can go to,” Joe Girardi said. “And his slider and changeup have improved. His location has improved. Physically he’s improved as well.
“I saw him come in to spring training and he looked like he was on a mission. He was on a mission to be here the whole year and to be healthy. I expect good things.”
The process of monitoring the 21-year-old’s workload also begins tonight, with the Yankees determined to keep the right-hander from developing shoulder problems.
“There will be some times that we might go a little bit longer with him than other nights,” Girardi said. “A lot of it depends on pitch counts. If he’s having long innings and having to work hard or if he’s having a real quick inning, you might see him go longer.”
The Yankees certainly would take more of the same from Hughes’ last performance at the Stadium. Had the Yankees rebounded to win the series against Cleveland, Hughes certainly would have been remembered among the heroes.
“It was one of those things where we needed a win,” Hughes said. “It was a little bit of a confidence booster, especially with the season on the line.”