Yankees manager Joe Girardi has a better understanding than most of the challenges of the job Joe Torre did while he was in The Bronx.
That’s why he called Torre’s entry into Monument Park and his number being retired on Saturday “well-deserved.”
“He meant a ton to the organization,” Girardi said before the Yankees’ 4-3 win over the White Sox at the Stadium. “He had a great ability to make people believe everything was going to be all right if we stuck together. He was good at keeping the noise out.”
Good enough to guide the Yankees to the postseason 12 straight years, an accomplishment that stands out in particular this season, when the Yankees are in danger of missing the playoffs in consecutive seasons.
“It’s absolutely incredible,” Girardi said. “Teams just don’t have those runs now.”
Girardi also told a story of how when Torre was diagnosed with prostate cancer in spring training 1999, he left it to Girardi and Paul O’Neill (as well as David Cone) to tell the rest of the team.
“He just said it was going to be OK and he’d be back,” Girardi said.
Masahiro Tanaka (elbow) played catch and is expected to throw another bullpen session and face hitters Saturday.
David Phelps, whose right elbow continues to improve, said he understands why he will head to the bullpen when he returns.
“There’s not enough time left in the season to get stretched out,” Phelps said. “I’ve done it before, so it’s OK.And there’s no need for me in the rotation.”
Derek Jeter didn’t provide a concrete answer about how he knew this was going to be his final season during a press conference with Spanish-speaking media.
“I think you just realize it,” Jeter said before going 1-for-5. “I don’t necessarily think there’s a magic formula that tells you when it’s time to retire. I just felt this was the right time for me. I’ve done it long enough, I look forward to doing other things, so I decided this was going to be my last year.”
Jeter said he already is looking forward to his first spring training in retirement.
“How am I going to feel when the team is in spring training?” Jeter said. “I’m going to feel good because I won’t have to get up, I won’t have to work out, I won’t have to go to sleep at a particular hour. So I’m looking forward to it.”
Hiroki Kuroda, who will start Saturday, has avoided the second-half swoon that plagued him last season, but he remains undetermined about his future.
“I have not thought about next year,” Kuroda said through a translator. “Since I’ve signed one-year contracts, I always wait until the completion of the season before I decide what to do.”
Stephen Drew said he was hoping his arrival in The Bronx would rejuvenate him after an awful start with the Red Sox.
It hasn’t happened, and he didn’t play on Friday.
“It’s definitely different,” Drew said of not playing regularly. “But it’s been a different year all around.”
At this point, Drew said he’s not sure how much he will be able to produce.
“It’s so late in the year, I’m not sure what’s going to change,” Drew said. “I’ve been working and I saw some things in my swing. One benefit of this circumstance is that it’s given me the chance to work more.”
— Additional reporting by Fred Kerber