David Cone understands what’s on the line every time he gets the ball now. Starting today against the Devil Rays, Cone knows he needs to pitch better for many reasons.
Locked in a three-way battle for the AL East lead with the Red Sox and Blue Jays, every game counts in a part of the season Cone called “crunch time.”
With July about to melt into August, Cone knows the “executive privilege I have been granted” can only go so far.
Yet, while Cone hears talk about needing one win to turn around what has been the most difficult season of a borderline Hall of Fame career, the 37-year-old right-hander wants to take it more than one win at a time.
“It’s nice to hear about one good game, but I need to string together some good performances to prove to my teammates that I can do this,” said Cone, whose struggles have made him a little tentative in his role as clubhouse leader.
While Cone, who is 3-13 in his last 30 regular season starts and 1-8 with a 6.63 ERA in 17 outings this year, feels a need to give his teammates something to believe in, they aren’t looking at him in that light. Despite not having won since beating the Blue Jays on April 28 – a span of 12 starts – the Yankees and Joe Torre believe Cone will help the Yankees drive toward a third straight AL East title.
“He needs to pitch well to restore his confidence,” Mike Stanton said. “Nobody has given up on him in here.”
Why? Other healthy pitchers with Cone’s numbers would have been jettisoned one way or another. An older pitcher would have been released; a younger arm sent to the minors. So, why do players still believe in Cone?
“Who he is and what he has done,” Stanton said. “He could easily have won five games instead of one.”
Cone, who has lost his last two starts because of a misbehaving slider that has been punished for eight homers in the last three outings, still has Paul O’Neill believing.
“He might feel that way,” O’Neill said. “Obviously, he needs to pitch well and we need him to pitch well. Confidence is a big part of this game. He might need a good game for his confidence, but we still have confidence in him.”
Torre knows the Yankees represent the Bottom Line Capital of the World. But Torre remains convinced there is something left in Cone’s right arm and that it’s only natural for him to feel a need to prove himself to his teammates.
“In David’s case, he has been such a force here that when he doesn’t do the job he feels that he is letting people down,” Torre said. “All you can do is try. I hate to see him feel responsible and take the blame. Hopefully, we can win a game for him [today].”
Cone has heard from all corners of the universe about how he can escape the funk. His dentist wants him to wear a mouth guard. Chiropractors call offering their services. Good friend David Wells suggested Cone cut back on the beer and drink more scotch.
Cone listens to them all and then ducks into his private pitching lab where he focuses on what’s ahead instead of dwelling on the bleakness of the immediate past.
“I am more consumed with experiments that I have made,” Cone said. “I know there is still enough to get it done. I see it when I pitch on the side and in games. I am concerned about answers because I know what has gone wrong.”
Cone means he knows he has one win, eight losses and a bloated ERA. As to why those numbers are so ugly, he can’t pinpoint a reason except to say he has left too many pitches in the hitters’ happy zone.
“I have been hanging too many pitches,” Cone explained. “The last three games have one common thread in them. I have a chance to have a decent game and the wheels come off in a hurry.”