THE concentration Sunday night was on whether Chien-Ming Wang would earn his first win of 2009 and Mariano Rivera would record his 500th career save, so you might not have paid much attention to what occurred in between: Phil Hughes delivered another eye-opening, offense- shutting performance. He threw an other 1 1/3 hitless innings against the Mets in a 4-2 Yankee triumph.
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Hughes has relieved seven times this season and has a 1.50 ERA and a .122 batting average against. In his last five outings, he is scoreless over seven innings with three hits, one walk and nine strikeouts. Maybe this is just a short run of success, though Alex Rodriguez said, “[Hughes] is throwing the ball as well as anyone on our staff. He is a total asset.”
For now, Hughes has qui eted the calls for Joba Chamberlain to be moved back to the bull pen. And there is irony to that, of course. Be cause everyone has long assumed that Chamberlain is really, in temperament and style, a late-inning re liever, and that Hughes, poker- faced and more cerebral, is a starter.
But remember what was being said about and by Rivera in 1996, his breakout campaign, the sea son he served mainly as closer John Wetteland’s set-up man, but also picked up the first five of his now 500 saves.
Rivera had made 10 starts for the 1995 Yankees, going 3-3 with a 5.94 ERA. But that offseason, the Yanks re-signed David Cone to the largest pitching contract ever and also imported Dwight Gooden and Kenny Rogers. Those three joined Jimmy Key and Andy Pettitte and there was no room for Rivera. So he made the team as mainly a mop-up man, but pitched so well in April that manager Joe Torre started feeding him more vital tasks until he had usurped Jeff Nelson and Bob Wickman and was the primary set-up man.
However, pretty much that entire season, Rivera said he was enjoying the job, but that it was just a pit stop away from starting. History tells us it was a heck of pit stop.
Fast forward to Hughes, who in 28 career starts is 8-9 with a 5.22 ERA. In the past offseason, the Yanks gave CC Sabathia the largest pitching contract ever and also signed A.J. Burnett to work with Pettitte, Chamberlain and Chien-Ming Wang. There was no job for Hughes.
So when Wang returned from the disabled list, he was handed a long relief role, but he has quickly gained a more important designation. And would anybody be surprised if in the not too distant future it is Hughes — not Brian Bruney — who is doing the main set-up work for Rivera? And is it possible that it will be Hughes, rather than Chamberlain, who is the heir apparent to Rivera?
“Yes, I want to be a starter still,” Hughes said, sounding quite like Rivera 13 years ago. “But it wouldn’t be bad to have Mariano Rivera’s career. I want to be pitching in the major leagues. That is what is important to me. I think too many guys are too picky.”
General manager Brian Cashman said the plan is to still have Hughes eventually return to the rotation. But, for now, “our goal is to win as many games in 2009 as possible and make the playoffs.” Translation: If Hughes could be an impact set-up man, like Rivera was in 1996, then Hughes will stay in that role, and the Yankees will deal with building up his innings again next year.
Cashman actually believes that pitching out of the bullpen will help Hughes when he returns to the rotation because “before [as a starter] he was nibbling too much away from contact. Now he is challenging guys.”
Hughes has a tiny bit of Mo Rivera, circa 1996, about him right now. Suddenly, he is a relief revelation.