George Steinbrenner’s Christmas gift to himself is turning into a bonanza for the Yankees.
Seated in a Clearwater, Fla., restaurant with David Wells last December, The Boss knew Wells had a deal with the Diamondbacks, and that the lefty was close to joining the team that had stopped the Yankees’ World Series run at three.
In between the soup and main course, Steinbrenner pulled out a contract and asked Wells if he wanted to come back to the only place he ever really wanted to pitch. The deal was for two years and a guaranteed $7 million, and Wells jumped at the opportunity.
Now, the lefty who turns 39 on Monday owns a 6-1 record, and is a very important part of a Yankee rotation that has been hampered by injuries to Andy Pettitte and Sterling Hitchcock.
Pettitte has been out since April 15 with a cranky elbow that has been diagnosed as tendinitis. Hitchcock, who signed to a two-year pact worth $12 million to be the fifth starter, started the season on the DL and was activated on May 8. He has made one relief appearance.
All Wells has done is tie Roger Clemens, the man he was traded for in 1999, for the team lead in victories and played a key role in the Yankees staying close to the Red Sox, who led the AL East going into last night’s action by three games.
Clearly, Steinbrenner’s gut feeling was a good one. And his reputation as a talent evaluator has improved.
“It was a stroke of genius, which doesn’t surprise any of us,” manager Joe Torre said of Steinbrenner bringing in Wells. “It was a Christmas present for him and a Christmas present for everybody else.”
Asked if he was rewarding Steinbrenner for bringing him back with his stellar beginning, Wells said he would wait.
“I knew as long as I was healthy I could pitch,” said Wells, who had back surgery July 17. “I am thankful [Steinbrenner] gave me the opportunity to come back and pitch. But I am not going to reward him until the season ends.”
If Wells continues to pitch like he did in beating the wretched Devil Rays 13-0 Thursday night and receives the run support – 7.9 runs across the first nine games – Wells may very well reward Steinbrenner with a 16- to 18-win season.
Thursday night, Alfonso Soriano led off the Yankee first with a first-pitch homer, and the Bombers staked Wells to a quick 6-0 lead.
The victory upped Wells’ career winning percentage as a Yankee to .727 (40-15). That’s the highest in franchise history.
And since it came one day before the fourth anniversary of his perfect game, there were parallels.
“Tonight he was just about perfect,” Torre said of Wells, who needed 112 pitches to post the second complete game for the Yankees this season – and first winning.
“This time of the year he pitches well.”
Wells retired the first 11 batters before Jason Tyner’s ground single to center got by Wells and in between Derek Jeter and Soriano. He didn’t pitch with a runner in scoring position until the sixth, when Jason Conti led off with a double. Wells retired the next three batters and Conti never left second.
After one inning Wells had a 6-0 lead thanks to Soriano’s leadoff homer, a two-run single by Robin Ventura and a two-run double by John Vander Wal. Jorge Posada and Nick Johnson homered in the third, and Bernie Williams went deep in the fourth.