ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — If CC Sabathia went into the ninth inning with a no-hitter yesterday against the Rays, Yankees manager Joe Girardi knew he would have a bigger challenge than keeping the big lefty’s emotions in check. He would have to deal with fired-up neophyte catcher Francisco Cervelli.
“I would have needed to calm him down more than CC,” Girardi said.
Working with Cervelli, Sabathia did not give up a hit until Kelly Shoppach singled with two outs in the eighth. That was Sabathia’s final batter.
“It gives a young catcher confidence,” said Girardi, a backstop during his playing days, of catching a gem. “You feel like you know what you are doing.”
Even though Cervelli went 1-for-3 with a two-run double and helped build a run with a sacrifice bunt, he said he knows why he is on the club.
“My job here is to be good with the pitchers,” said Cervelli, who started for the first time this year. “I have to catch, catch, catch.”
Cervelli said he caught two no-hitters in Single-A in 2007, but each was a combination effort because pitchers were on pitch limits.
Cervelli did not second-guess the fastball he called that Shoppach served into left.
“We tried to call the right pitch,” Cervelli said of the two-seam fastball that didn’t sink enough.
Sabathia’s was the longest no-hit bit in Tropicana Field history. Only four times, including Shoppach’s hit, did Sabathia allow the ball to leave the infield. Alex Rodriguez had six assists.
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Yesterday was Sabathia’s second start of the young season. A.J. Burnett will get his second start today and Andy Pettitte will have his second outing of the year in Tuesday’s home opener. On Wednesday, Javier Vazquez will attempt to rebound from an awful debut.
So, that leaves Phil Hughes as the only member of the Yankees’ rotation who has not started a game.
After making two starts in the extended spring training program and throwing a bullpen session in between, Hughes is slated to start Thursday against the Angels at Yankee Stadium.
“Absolutely, of course,” Hughes said, asked if he was ready to fall in with the other hurlers after a six-inning intra-squad game at the minor league complex in Tampa yesterday. “I have been ready for three weeks.”
Because the Yankees were off this past Monday and Thursday and are off tomorrow, they did not require a fifth starter until Thursday.
“I don’t see it being an issue,” Hughes said of not facing big league hitters since late in spring training.
Nor does Girardi.
“He is built up,” the manager said.
But Hughes might have to get used to an irregular schedule.
“If there is a situation where we need to skip him, we will skip him,” Girardi said.
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Girardi will get his fourth World Series ring on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. It will be his first as a manager after he copped three as a Yankees player.
“I can’t tell you how it’s different, but the feeling is different,” Girardi said of being a world champion manager and player.
Girardi gave one ring to his father and another to his father-in-law. The other two will be passed down to his children since Girardi rarely wears the third one.
“I don’t remember the last time I wore it,” he said. “My kids will eventually get [them].”
To keep peace at home Girardi better win another world championship so each of his three children gets a ring.
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When the Yankees arrive home for Tuesday’s game against the Angels, they will be reintroduced to Yankee Stadium and you can expect all the talk about it being a homer heaven to begin.
“It changed substantially after six weeks last year,” Girardi said of the Stadium, which yielded homers to right field very easily. “I understand the upper deck is off. I don’t know if it will have any affect on our stadium.”
Early last year the ease with which opponents were hitting homers got into some Yankee pitchers’ heads. Girardi does not expect that to happen this time because eventually the pace slowed.
“The ball was flying out early and pitchers were thinking they couldn’t make a mistake,” Girardi said. “It took a little time for guys to get used to it.”
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Want to know the difference between Rodriguez’s first week of last season and this one? Check out the way he runs the bases.
When he returned from hip surgery early last May, Rodriguez was tentative on the basepaths. On Friday night, he was aggressive in legging out a triple to center field.
“The first week back last year, I don’t think he would have gone to third in that situation,” Girardi said. “He is much further ahead of last year’s first week.”
Even though Rodriguez was caught stealing in the second inning yesterday, he was not hesitant running.
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Asked if he would hit for Cervelli if the situation surfaced, Girardi said he would, but that would mean Jorge Posada would have been the only eligible catcher remaining. So who would Girardi turn to in an emergency?
“Ramiro puts the shin guards on [to warm up pitchers between innings] and A.J. used to catch,” Girardi said.
Guess which one would be put behind the plate in an emergency? It’s not Burnett.