Breaking news: Clemens scratched again
Posted by: Peter Abraham - Posted in Misc on Sep 25, 2007 
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The Yankees just announced that Roger Clemens (left hamstring) has been scratched from tonight’s game and will not pitch in this series.
He has been replaced by LHP Kei Igawa.
….
This is a joke, right?
Well this certainly can’t be good.
this is wild. . at this point i would rather roger miss pointless games against tampa bay then miss a huge playoff game. .roger is important to this lineup and has the experience we need to win the big games. . igawa will rebound and pitch 5 solid innings
Could be a bullpen heavy night.
Well, that sucks.
put the champagne away for the day. unless detroit packs it in
Hey Pete, first your KEY now KEI what a bad day.
PS try taking the keey off and blowing that canned air in the space and then triy the key again. it worked on my iMac
It’s not a total surprise to me that the Rocket isn’t pitching in this series. Pitching on the turf could have easily done more damage to his hamstring. It’s probably a good idea to wait and let him pitch in Camden Yards.
Have faith, guys. Igawa pitched well in his last minute start against Boston.
Pete, why didn’t you tackle Roger when he was hitting balls to Koby?
I get Clemens not pitching, that’s fine and all…
…but Kei? Really?
Looks like old-man Roger is finally succumbing to his age.
Biggest waste of $18 million ever. I think this injury is a lot more serious than anyone within the organization is letting on. Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s done.
They should have waited till 6:30 to tell Igawa he was pitching.
“igawa will rebound and pitch 5 solid innings”
Why do people constantly throw out baseless predictions like this?
Pete,
Why isn’t Alan Horne goven a shot, i know he is not even on the 40 day roster, but thats part of my question.
I just hope that Igawa’s not doing his four? hour-long workout before the game. I don’t know how it can possibly help him to do all of that running before the game. It worked for him in Japan, but it hasn’t worked here yet. I believe that Tampa Bay is a good matchup for him, because they have some free swingers who swing at a lot of bad pitches. I predict that he throws six solid innings and holds the D-Rays to two runs. He’ll also strike out seven.
Rocco – I was just thinking the same thing. The kid seems to do better right off the bench, rather than having time to prepare. I guess we’ll see….. HAVE FAITH!!
GO YANKEES!!!
Would rather have Clippard or Ohlendorf than Igawa. Very worried about Rocket.
Roger mentored the kids, so it wasn’t a total waste. ANd don’t forget who might have started had Roger not been here.
Well, Tampa is a free-swinging team. And Igawa is a strikeout guy.
This is so deja vu. And it’s all Pavano’s fault.
The Yankees will prevail.
I’m calling it now, a complete game no-hitter by Kei Igawa.
MJL-
You still might end up seeing Clippard and Ohlendorf tonight =\
They should throw someone in the first inning, then have Igawa come in. It seemed to work in the boston game.
Carl Pavano opens the season. Kei Igawa pitches the clinching game.
it wasn’t a last min start against Boston that he did well. It was a relief appearance where he came in in the first inning. They should have just let Roger start and taken him out with 2 runners on.
I’d rather see Chase Wright.
For some reason I feel like Igawa getting the win that puts the Yankees in the playoffs has some sort of poetic justice to the season so far.
Retire Roger your body cannot handle pitching anymore
Yowza! That’s not good news.
this is a chance for igawa to redeem himself . get the win , clinh the wild card and maybe just maybe instill some confidence in yourself , your teammates , fans and manager .
highly unlikely
bosco – wouldn’t you say it is a little early to judge? i mean, he could be huge in the playoffs. i just don’t think it is fair to say that unless he’s a waste in october.
if he is, then i agree
Carl Pavano opens the season. Kei Igawa pitches the clinching game.WHAT A SEASON!!!
What ever happened to Rasner? I thought he was back from injury.
So what were the choices for today’s starter? DeSalvo, Wright, or Igawa? With options like that, Joe probably just picked a name out of a hat. They’re all pretty terrible.
Also heard that Carl Crawford might miss the series with an injury. And gosh-darnit, we’re the Yankees.
Are you a betting man Fernando?
With the way the playoffs line up we might not even get to use a 4th starter. I know Moose isn’t anyone’s first choice but that is where we would be if Rocket can’t heal up.
That said, I cannot imagine Rocket letting darn near any injury keep him from attempting a start, I wouldn’t want to be the doctor that tells him he can’t go.
Rocco I thought the same thing, maybe they should have had Roger go out there, and have Kei come in, so he had no notice whatsoever!!
Looks like it is going to be a send in the clowns day from the pen.
It hasn’t been a waste of money at all.
If Clemens wasn’t here Igawa/DeSalvo pitch 25 more starts during the season. That means, no playoffs.
They didn’t have anybody else to pitch in that slot since neither Kennedy nor Chamberlain were ready to assume the load.
Two wins against the Red Sox in two very important games. Can’t forget about that.
He also changed the entire attitude of this team. I don’t discount that because the attitude of the team stunk before his arrival. He’s also been great working with Hughes, Chamberlain, etc.
Right now they are being smart. What’s the point of pitching him if he’s not ready? They don’t need him in this series. They are set for the playoffs.
They need him for two starts. One in the ALDS and one in the ALCS. That’s what he and the Yankees are targeting.
He has pitched very well when he has had a break. If he can throw a couple of innings Friday or Saturday against the Orioles, that’s all he will need to be ready for the post-season.
He’s 45 years old. I doubt anyone expected him to pitch 150+ innings this year.
I feel much more comfortable with Clemens pitching Game 3 of any series than anyone currently on the team.
Well, the game will be entertaining at least!
…….I was hyped to see Clemens, now ill just go to Disneyland for a few hours and atleast see something to get excited over during the Main Street Parade……
odds are well clinch with a Detroit loss lol!!
Go Yankees!
Go Home Igawa!!!!!!!!
“Also heard that Carl Crawford might miss the series with an injury. And gosh-darnit, we’re the Yankees.”
Carl Crawford is basically done for the year. He strained his hamstring and there is nothing for them to gain by rushing him back.
igawa will thro a no-no 2night….GUARNTEED
I’d take Wright over Igawa. He was good against Cleveland, and he was good against Boston until that….incident.
jennifer 27 in 07 “Roger mentored the kids, so it wasn’t a total waste.”
Oh yes, half a season and a few talks. 18 million is definitely a bargain. Where would the kids be without Clemens? Andy and Mo simply don’t give good advice.
So we are giving up on the division lead? Oh my Gosh!!!!
Great they have the disaster Igawa pitching tonight. So now the Yanks wont get to clinch and celebrate until tomorrow unless the twinkies help them out. If I was Torre I would DH Arod and give Matsui or Abreu the day off. Unless they score 10 runs they arent going to win anyway and the last time Cy Young lefty Hammel pitched against the Yanks they didnt touch him. I would rather of gave Clippard, Wright or Karstens a chance then see this loser again. Maybe Clemens shouldnt be playing on the field with his kids if the old man is hurt. Hughes better get prepared to pitch in the play offs because it is becoming obvious that the Yanks are not going to be able to count on Clemens being healthy when he is ready to pitch.
when igawa has to much time to plan and think about his gameplan he struggles. . he has had time to work on his mechanics and should hopefully provide some quality innings. im not saying he wont find trouble but he has potential to be a decent 5th pitcher in a rotation. Tampa bay is a dangerous hitting team so this obviously wont be a walk in the park for him. 4 earned runs in 5 innings is a decent prediction from igawas current stats.
ps magic number 7 games. . . . .for the packers to seal a playoff spot in the nfc. . lets go green bay
“I’d take Wright over Igawa. He was good against Cleveland, and he was good against Boston until that….incident.”
None of the guys we have available have big league stuff, might as well run the most expensive one out there.
Have faith guys. I know this is far from optimal, but…it’s not like we lost every start Igawa made!
(It just seems like it)
I’m probably alone, but I think this is good news. I couldn’t understand why there were going to run Rocket out there with even a twinge in his hamstring in the first place. Why risk it? Let him rest up for the post-season.
I’m sure this has a lot more to do with Detroit losing last night rather than Rocket’s hamstring being worse than originally thought.
TKinDC: “I cannot imagine Rocket letting darn near any injury keep him from attempting a start, I wouldn’t want to be the doctor that tells him he can’t go.”
But he has no problem coming out of games with injuries, no doctors needed.
Everybody’s favorite flying monkey goes for the clinch.
Luckily, the format of the playoffs will allow clemens to get plenty of rest between starts. I just hope he has a few more starts left in that cranky old body of his. If rocket is good in october, he’s worth all the money in the world.
Don’t forget the “Tough All Day” t-shirts! That’s like a million dollars right there.
But seriously, this was a gamble that changed the personality of the team. Clemens is the greatest pitcher alive and a tough SOB who can only be positive for the young arms.
Think positive! think positive! think positive I hope it helps.May Igawa fools us all today,please.
Igawa doesn’t have to throw a gem, just keep us in the game and everything will be o-Kei!!
Bosco: but some of the others aren’t QUITE as bad. They don’t strike fear into the hearts of fans everywhere quite as much as the thought of Kei Igawa does.
Maybe Pete’s just messing with us. Blog Hazing?
A-O-Kei!
How many pictures of Igawa in that costume do you think we’ll see tonight?
I heard it on the radio
Tis true.
3 back anyone? sigh.
I don’t care about the game tonight. I’m worried about whether he’s gonna be able to go in the postseason and if so how effective he’s gonna be.
Basically now we’re at Pettitte, Wang, and pray for rain.
Not many because the news just came out.
But maybe just maybe someone heard and will bring it and use it for k’s.
Andrea,
Kei’s pix is up on mlb.com. Don’t worry, be happy.
Well I just figure the telecasters have been spending all day getting ready to talk about Clemens..
Now that hes out, they’ll scramble for things to talk about with Igawa, and Im sure we’ll see him in the flying monkey costume a few times
we will win kei throws a no-no……9IP 0H 0R 4bb 1hbp Final score yankees 6 Drays 0….Guarenteed
Think positive. There’s nothing else to do.
Igawa should keep his Flying Monkey suit on. it might scare Tampa!!
LINEUP
damon
jeter
abreu
arod
matsui
posada
cano
minky
Melky
Common sense says this will now be a 14-13 slugfest, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see a 1-0 pitchers duel, with our luck lately.
how ironic is it if igawa is the winning pitcher if the yankees clinch a playoff spot tonight?
i would have liked to watch clemens tonight, but it’ll be must see tv with igawa going. if there was a pool two months ago on who would be the winning pitcher when the yankees clinch, igawa would have had to have been at the bottom of the list.
i’m still curious about him as a pitcher. he was too good in japan to be this bad. i’m not saying he should be great here. i’m just saying he should be able to have 4.75-5.25 era for a whole season if he got his head on straight and found a pitching strategy that took advantage of what talent he has.
I don’t see this as a big deal. The key is to have him healthy enough to pitch in the post-season. That’s all that matters.
Its why its foolish to go for the division and they won’t do it. Get in, rest the walking wounded, and get ready for the ALDS.
Looking back, I can’t help but wonder if it was a bad sign for Clemens that his first start of the year was pushed back due to a groin injury. He’s battled so many ailments this year, and I really hope that he can bounce back and deliver in the playoffs and give himself a fitting career curtain call.
Randy,
I was thinking the exact same thing! With the way this season has gone, it would be fitting if Kei Igawa was the winning pitcher in the game that put them in the playoffs! lol
Thats funny, watch Igawa pitch well tonight against AAA Tampa, Joe gets impressed and puts him on the playoff roster as a lefty specialist!
Randy – I was thinking the same thing. Can the scouts have just been that far off with him? We knew he was no Matsusaka, but he was a strike-out machine in Japan, wasn’t he? SJ44, what do you make of Igawa?
It’s alright. Maybe this is Igawas day to shine.
Lets go Yanks!
What would be more fitting for this year is if Kei Igawa pitched the second game of a Yankee 7 game losing streak that knocks us out of the playoffs.
Feels like we’re right back where we started early on this year with massive rotation questions.
Ellen,
As it turns out, Dice-K was no Matsuzaka either.
It looks like they will be dealing with the same thing that happened with Johnson and Brown. 2 old farts with bad backs who werent healthy said that they were, took the ball and then got smacked around and gave the team nothing. That is why Hughes on the roster is important and if Kennedy is healthy to have 2 fill ins for Mussina and or Clemens if they implode. Hopefully not, but at this point they dont know what they are going to get from him. He came out of a play off game with Houston because of a groin injury.
Mel, You beat me to it.
I’m not convinced that Tampa Bay is a great matchup for Igawa. Granted they lead the league in strikeouts, but they are also 3rd in homers and 5th in walks. So Igawa will strike out 9, walk 5 and give up 3 homers. The Yanks will rally against the Tampa Bay bullpen for an 11-10 win.
Captains Corner,
Hughes is a lock now, Kennedy has been shut down for the year. He’s getting married and doing Broadway.
I think Igawa was a 46 million dollar overrecation to not getting Dice-K.
All of the Japanese pitchers are overrated. People fall victim to the hype and start frothing after players who aren’t as good as the hype.
We see it with Dice-K. He’s a 100 million dollar #3 pitcher, at best. That’s all he is.
All of the ridiculous hyped spewed by the ESPN crowd over Dice-K (“He’s the next Pedro. He’s a pitching savant”, etc) was laughable.
One thing we know. Just because you spend 100 million dollars on a player (Dice-K, Zito, etc) doesn’t make them a superstar. It just makes them overpaid.
There are certain guys who are worth the money. Johan Santana after next season, for example. Others are not. Dice-K falls into that catagory.
He’s just not that type of pitcher. Add to it, the longer season and the fact he has a 32 year old arm (due to the amount of pitches he has thrown in his career) and you have a guy vastly overpaid for the production he has given the Red Sox.
Ironically, this is probably going to be his best year. Historically, Japanese pitchers decline quickly as they get older.
Igawa? A guy who can’t pitch down in the zone and has average stuff. IMO, his best/only shot to ever make an impact in the majors will be if he can turn himself into a lefty specialist out of the bullpen. I don’t see him ever being an effective starter.
I bet the Yankees would love a “do over” on the Igawa deal.
Yah I think it’s also worth worrying about how much Tampa runs..
I don’t think Igawas use to anything like that..
Wht is the rotation for this series anyway now?
oh god still at work & I hear this
Rebecca give me some positive words please
“As it turns out, Dice-K was no Matsuzaka either. ”
great line!
over a five year period in japan there wasn’t a huge difference between the two. the big problem that igawa has is velocity or lack there of. matsuzaka doesn’t have much to spare either. matsuzaka does locate better and seems to have a better mental approach. lefties have won with a 89-90 mph fastball and good breaking balls and off speed pitches, but igawa seems like he doesn’t have the composure to put the ball where he wants it. i think it’s as much mental as anything with him. maybe if he gets used to things here in the u.s he’ll relax in the future and pitch his style of game.
at least he’s used to pitching in tampa since he spent half his time there, so maybe he’ll surprise us in a good way tonight.
I bet the Yankees would love a “do over� on the Igawa deal.
Actually they had a “do over” on Igawa when San Diego claimed him. So they still must see something in Igawa if they wouldn’t give away his salary. $4 dollars is still very cheap for a starting pitcher, even if its over the next 4 years.
I think the yankees see him as a bit of a long term project.
Marc,
What’d I beat you to? Pointing out that the conversion rate on Matsuzaka’s ERA is 2x?
Bob,
The rotation’s on a need to know basis. When was Roger’s original start? Saturday?
$4 dollars is still very cheap for a starting pitcher, even if its over the next 4 years.
Obviously that was suppossed to be $4 million dollars.
“I’m calling it now, a complete game no-hitter by Kei Igawa.”
Oh yeah? Well I predict it will be a 15 inning perfect game and people will write Haiku’s about him.
I think its hard to dump him after one year because that would mean they wasted 30 million dollars (counting the posting fee) for ONE year of Igawa.
If I was the GM, no way I would do that. I would see if they can make him a lefty specialist out of the bullpen next year. If it doesn’t work, then you move him at the deadline next July.
By “do over”, I mean they would have loved to save the 46 million. That’s a lot of cash to waste on somebody.
$4 is all he’s worth…He’s really not even worth a plane ticket back to Japan.
Ellen, a strikeout machine he is. His 7.32 K/9 is the best among the team’s starters (just edging Hughes). But his 4.60 BB/9 trails only Karstens, Clippard, DeSalvo and Wright, and his .559 SLG-against trails only Karstens and Wright. mlb.com doesn’t publish HR/9, but a quick eyeballing suggests that Igawa’s 2.17 trails only Wright.
What happened to Dorothy, Toto? Is she still unable to click her heels?
Let’s go monkey!
I think Kei will give us a solid outing…He bounced back vs. San Francisco, and I think he will be ok for tonight.
Threads like this are a big part of why I haven’t been posting as often as I used to….
We’re about to clinch a playoff birth today or tomorrow after starting the season 14.5 games back with a record below .500 pretty far into the season and people still can’t stop whining and throwing in the towel because the TEAM is being careful with an crucial piece of its rotation rather than push it with an injury.
We need 1 win out of 6 games against Tampa Bay and Baltimore. I think we can manage that without pushing the issue and losing Clemens for the playoffs.
Who cares if it’s Igawa (and I share the hatred for that “investment”), Wright, etc.. none are great options with Kennedy shut down.
I have said all along I won’t give up on the Division until it’s mathematically impossible, but that doesn’t mean I’d throw away the Playoffs to get there now that we’re 1 game away from clinching the Wild Card. Anything can still happen and Boston’s focus will be much like ours, get ready for the playoffs and let the division fall where it may.
Fair point SJ44.
But I do think the yankees see some value in him, and I think they regret posting as much as they did when I believe $10 million less (don’t quote me on that) would have landed him too.
He does strike out a lot of guys and his change up is a plus pitch (if he can keep it down or away) so if they can build some confidence and rework the delivery (which they apparently have done) he could find some success. Oh and lose those dumb shades too, lol.
I said earlier in the year regardless how Kei does this year, he’s a long term project. Well Im now convinced he’s a long long term project, but I do still see some value in him.
Yeah… Igawa’s deal is chump change. Even if he sucks forever $4 mill a year is not going to keep George awake at night…
Also even if we lose Detroit would have to defeat Garza and Santana in the next two days to stay alive. The yankees are as good as in, so now is as good of a time as any to see what some of these reserve AAAA guys can do. Im actually very intrigued to see what Igawa does tonight.
Chris is right.
This is actually a great time to be a Yankee fan. They are making the playoffs! That means something.
I think folks take for granted making the playoffs…..like its some ordained “right” or something. Its not and, as we have seen this year (especially in the AL) its damn tough to do.
Given how they have had to battle to get into this position, its great to have a relaxing week.
Does anybody REALLY believe the Yankees can’t win ONE game this week? That’s assuming Detroit runs the table the rest of the week.
This is a week to relax, hope some guys hit some personal milestones, and everybody comes out of it healthy and ready for the post-season.
Really funny Pete – OK you can tell us who’s really pitching now.
Pete?
Seriously, what’s up with all the lame predictions? Say something intelligent. “He’s going to go 5 innings, strike out 8, with 4 bb and 3 ER” doesn’t contribute much…
Ok, guys, COME ON!!!! Be thankful we don’t have GAGME!!!!! Let’s have a little perspective. We are after all the freakin’ New York Yankees! Look what these guys have done this year! GO YANKEES!!!!!
OK, serious prediction. He was great coming out of the pen against Boston once. I think he overthinks his starts and so maybe this will be good for him. 5 IP, 5 ER, 7 walks, 3 HR, 2 SOs.
JS- ha! Haiku! Here is one for you.
Kei stands on the Mound
Cashman hangs his head in shame
Another Home Run
WTF!!!!!! Clippard, Wright, and Desolvo are better than Iwaga!!!
the scarey thing about this, is mike mussina would take his spot.
Mike Mussina is so shot at this point. Don’t give me he looked great in his last few starts. They have been sub par line ups.
hi, andar here, i just read your post. i like very much. agree to you, sir.