All through the later part of July and the early part of August, the Yanks beat up on the weak sisters of the American League: The Royals, D-Rays, White Sox and others.
All the while, Yankee fans and foes held their breath, knowing the schedule would turn brutal from August 10 until early September with eight games against Detroit, and three each against the Red Sox, Indians, Angels and Mariners.
So far so good: The Yanks are 7-3 in the first ten games of this scheduling test- the only series loss against the pitching-rich Orioles. (The Yankees have won 11 of their past 13 series; with the only two series losses coming against Baltimore.)
The resounding muscle of the Yankee offense is apparent, and can not be disputed. (Afterall, the team leads the majors in runs scored with 735, not to mention a .366 OBP and .466 SLG).
But the telling story of the Yankees' success is their bullpen. Has there been a pitcher in recent memory-or anyone's memory-to have become such a cult figure after seven innings of work as has Joba Chamberlain?
Every one of Chamberlain's "performances" - they are not mere "appearances" - have electrified the home crowd and left opposing batters in awe. And why not? How often have you seen a 21-year-old who can throw 100 mph with pinpoint control? This is Steve Dalkowski meets Catfish Hunter at a tender young age, and the baseball world is taking note.
So are the players, Johnny Damon said: "Even being a veteran, it gives me goosebumps to see him come in...goosebumps."
Torre chimed in: "For someone of this limited experience, I can't remember anybody like him, not only as far as throwing hard, but the fact that he can make pitches."
Even Gary Sheffield took note: ""He's a wrecking crew out of the bullpen ready to charge."
At some point in the distant future, Joba will surrender a run. But let's remember that the 2002 World Champion Angels' bullpen was anchored in the post-season that year by a rookie who pitched only 5 innings during the regular season. Francisco Rodriguez blazed his way out of the Angles system and simply dominated. He's been a great closer ever since.
Of course, Chamberlain's future is as a starter. But right now, he is aces coming out of the pen. The Yanks would not be making this run without him.
The Yanks' bullpen resurgence doesn't end with Joba. Perhaps Joe Torre will finally realize who Edwar Rameriz is now that he is also shutting down bats. The kid blazed his way out of the minors only to languish on Torre's bench unused for two weeks. Apparently, Torre was not impressed by Edwar's 2007 minor league stats: 56.2 IP, 102 K, 0.79 ERA.
Torre's penchant for preferring veterans with inferior talent to youngsters with superior talent continued to cost the Yankees before the all-star break. But ever since Cashman spoke with Joe and forced his hand by releasing Mike Myers, and sending Jim Brower down, Torre has had no choice but to go with the youngsters, and the Yanks are a better team for it. (Brower was promised a September call up, for what it's worth, and he stays on the 40 man roster.)
Edwar's changeup, particularly when it comes in the late innings, gives the hitters a completely different look from what they see from Joba, Vizcaino, Farnsworth or Mariano. That kind of variety is essential for a strong bullpen.
As many of you know, I am not a fan of Joe Torre's managing. However, I want to go on the record to say that Gary Sheffield is so far out of line with his comments about Joe Torre that he really should be censored by the commissioner of baseball. There is no place in baseball for the kind of hatred that Sheffield recklessly spews forth.
If ever there were a racist in baseball today, that man's name is Gary Sheffield.
Sheffield even admits that he has to rile himself up and make himself feel like a victim in order to propel himself. That is what Sheffield is doing here. He is simply throwing another manager, and another organization, under the bus for his own individual purposes.
So evil is Sheffield, he even made me stand up and applaud Kyle Farnsworth on Saturday when the master of back spasms struck him out on a high hard one.
Make a Farnsworth fan out me, will you Sheffield? … Ha!
Truth be told, since being demoted from the 8th inning, Kyle has picked it: 4 IP, 0 H, 4 K, 1 BB, 0 R. Yes, it's a small sample size but it's still promising.
While the bullpen is the story, the Yankee revival this season would not be possible without the assistance of old friend Andy Pettitte. Andy has always been a second-half pitcher, and his performance on Friday night was vintage Pettitte: 8 IP, 1 ER. He's the guy I want to start the first game of the playoffs for the Yanks….followed by Wang, Rocket and Hughes (Sorry Mike).
Bet the house….bet the kids….bet the I-Pod. This Yankee team is just now getting in shape.
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