Postgame notes: Change of plans, for the better
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Notes, Podcast on Oct 10, 2010 
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Phil Hughes had a plan. Of course he had a plan. This is a guy touted for his maturity, known for his willingness to work and prepare. He wasn’t going to make the biggest start of his career on a hunch and a prayer.
Hughes came into Game 3 knowing he was facing a lineup full of lefties, and believing he would need an effective changeup to neutralize them. Instead, pitching coach Dave Eiland said, Hughes threw his changeup a total of three times.
“The last couple of times out I threw a ton of changeups,” Hughes said. “I thought that was going to be the same plan going forward tonight, but they were swinging the bats early and I really didn’t get into too many deep counts so I just attacked with my fastball. Got ahead and from there I just did what I had to do. I thought it was going to be a different game as far as my pitch selection, but it went differently and I’m happy it did.”
Instead of his changeup, Eiland said it was Hughes fastball command that made the difference. Arguably his biggest pitch of the night — the one that generated a rare fist pump from Hughes — was the fastball that struck out Jason Kubel to end the sixth.
“I just really put everything I had behind that fastball hoping he either popped it up or missed it,” Hughes said. “Once I saw that he swung through it, it was just some emotion coming out.”
It was one of only two times Hughes was tested. He came back out for the seventh and sent the side down in order on nine pitches, not one of them the changeup he expected to need.
“He’s very smart,” Eiland said. “He’s a very wise pitcher. (The changeup) is there if he needs it, but he follows a scouting report. Jorge called an outstanding game behind the plate. Just because he has it and we want him to throw it doesn’t mean he’s going to throw it 10, 15 percent of the time every game.”
To put it even more simply: “He was outstanding,” Joe Girardi said.
Here’s the champagne-soaked Hughes from the middle of the Yankees clubhouse.
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• Just to get it out of the way: Girardi said the Yankees have not discussedan ALCS roster and Eiland said they haven’t discussed an ALCS rotation.
• The Yankees are the first team to advance this postseason. “You don’t want to give anybody hope,” Derek Jeter said. “If you have a chance to close it out, you want to do it. We’ve taken the approach that every game was Game 5 and we had that feel today. It’s good to get it over with. It feels good but we still have a long way to go.”
• The Yankees have now won nine straight playoff games against the Twins. This is the first of the bunch in which they never trailed. “We had a great game plan,” Swisher said. “Watched a ton of film on Duensing the last couple of days. Obviously huge hits, that’s obviously the big thing.”
• Of the Yankees 33 hits this series, 10 were for extra bases. Marcus Thames hit the first career postseason home run, Swisher hit his second.
• The Yankees pitchers held the Twins to 2-for-18 with runners in scoring position this series, including an 0-for-14 stretch prior to Denard Span’s RBI single in the eighth.
• Hughes is the third Yankee to throw seven scoreless innings in his first postseason start joining Orlando Hernandez and Waite Hoyt. He’s the first Yankees starter of any kind to go seven scoreless in the playoffs since Mike Mussina in Game 3 of the 2001 ALDS.
• Jeter has reached base in his past 19 postseason games dating back to Game 4 of the 2007 ALDS. He had a hit in 18 of those 19 games.
• Joba Chamberlain was not used this entire seires. “It was just matchups,” Eiland said. “Matchups where, for example, guys hit sliders better than they hit curveballs. Things like that. Joba’s going to play a big part in this thing before we’re finished this year, and he understands that. He’s all in and so is everyone else.”
• The Yankees will take Sunday and Monday off. Their next workout will be Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. “We’re not young any more,” Jorge Posada said. “So we need a couple of guys to get a couple of days off and go get them on Friday again.”
• CC Sabathia usually thrives on short rest, but he’ll get extra rest once again, this time eight days. “I’ll take the rest,” he said. “I’m going to have to get used to it. It’s always good when you can close a game out here, first chance.”
• Swisher was asked when he knew Hughes would be alright tonight: “I got here this afternoon at 3:30,” Swisher said. “At 3:33 I saw Phil, and he was just chill, man. Cool as a cucumber. Obviously everybody knows in the postseason your emotions and everything can kind of get the best of you, but the way he went out there and pitched today for us, hats off man. He’s been doing it all season long, and very, very deserving for him.”
• Hughes was asked if this is a start he’ll always remember: “I hope not,” he said. “Hopefully it’s a World Series win that I’m remembering.”
Associated Press photos of Rodriguez, Hughes pitching, and Jeter celebrating on the field with Cano.
Chad,
I know you’re not supposed to imbibe while on the job, but I hope you snuck a sip, too. You deserve it.
Betsy,
If you’re still up, I forgot to tell you that Eck (he was really in a good mood tonight) said that this was the Phil Hughes we saw in the beginning of the season. He thinks that Phil stumbled a bit because he was tired (a possibility that was often raised here). Anyway, I think this is much more plausible than what Orel H. wrote. I don’t think that Phil let the IP limit get to him at all this season. He was Steady Eddie the whole way.
Hey Carl.
Sup Carl!
You were correct. The Yanks broke out the brooms Carl.
Three really nice TEAM wins this series. The entire team really contributed to each win, if you think about it. Sure there were heroes in each game but everyone helped the cause.
The hero of tonight, Phil Hughes is just awesome. He’s so talented, he’s laid back, smart, well spoken. I’m so glad he’s a Yankee
8 mo games Carl. You be safe ok?
Thanks. Night Carl.
Night Carl.
I think this excerpt from the RAB recap expresses what a lot of us have been feeling:
The Night He Became A Man
There’s something extra satisfying about watching a guy perform well on the big stage after you’ve followed basically his entire career. Phil Hughes is pretty much that first guy for a large contingent of Yankee fans, since he was drafted just as blogs and fan analysis brought prospects and minor league baseball to the forefront. We watched as Hughes made his rookie ball debut, as he tore through two levels of A-ball in one season, as the dominated guys two and three years older then him in Double-A. It was glorious.
But we also dealt with the struggles, the injuries, and the failure to provide instant gratification. It wasn’t until two full years after his big league debut that he established himself as a Major Leaguer, and that didn’t happen until he moved to the bullpen. Hughes won a World Series ring last year, but his career progression didn’t end there. Not even close. He stepped back into the rotation this year, and delivered a masterpiece in the biggest start of his life.
Thirteen days after his last start, Phil took the mound in this game and was throwing grenades right from the start. The first nine batters were set down on just 31 pitches, and the lone baserunner he allowed in the fourth was erased on Hudson’s double play. He didn’t run into any real trouble until the fifth, which came after he sat on the bench for over half-an-hour while the lineup tacked some runs on the board. Hughes threw over 30 pitches that inning and nearly coughed up part of the lead, but he rebounded and gave his two more innings.
The end result was seven innings pitched, four singles, just one walk, and six strikeouts. He threw 99 pitches and 67 strikes, recording a game score of 74, his second highest of the season behind the near no-hitter in Oakland (that was an 80). The stakes were a bit higher this time out, so I’m going to make an executive decision to dub this his best game of the season. In fact, he became the first Yankee pitcher to go seven scoreless in a playoff game since Mike Mussina way back in Game Three of the 2001 ALDS. Yeah, it had been a while.
Phil Hughes grew up a little bit in this game. Well, he continued growing up I mean. He’s been doing it all season, but this was the biggest step forward we’ve seen. He was dominant and efficient, calm yet overwhelming, and quite frankly, he was an ace. After all we’ve gone through with Phil over the last six years, this was something special.
http://riveraveblues.com/2010/.....ins-36645/
This team is going to steam roll the ALCS.
I thought Hughes would be terrific because I thought he was fatigued in September, and as a result, that the rest would benefit him.
Jerkface,
I hope Texas and TB beat each other up.
Lee is scheduled to pitch a game 5, right? That would line him up for a potential game ?? in the ALCS?
And is Price going on short rest? Or did they decide to go to a 4-man rotation?
btw, I wish Girardi hadn’t completely buried Joba.
Here were my predictions
Yankees in 3
Rangers in 5
Giants in 4
Phillies in 3
Yankees in 5
Giants in 6
Yankees in 5
I am looking good on these picks so far
Joe Mauer is getting killed by minny.
I said in the game thread, with a 6-0 (5-0?) lead that I would’ve gone Joba/Wood for the last 2 innings.
But, I can understand Girardi’s desire to nail the coffin shut.
As for burying Joba. AJ was buried and Javy walked the plank. Only the most reliable guys have been used because the margin for error is that slim in a short series. Robertson, Logan, Rivera all with 0.00 ERAs (!)
Ride your horses until they pass out I guess.
Joba won’t be buried in the next (two) rounds.
Davis @ Hunter tomorrow.
TBD @ Price on Tuesday if necessary.
Here’s why Joba should be viewed differently from AJ and Vazquez, in addition to the fact that he is almost a decade younger:
Post AS ERA:
Joba: 2.88
AJ: 5.95
Vazquez: 6.64
I really enjoyed the on-field remarks by Marcus Thames; it showed that he has always been a Yankee, at heart. A remarkable ‘homecoming’…….
Mariano Rivera has a .33 era in the Division series.
Not fair.
.59 whip.
I’m not putting them in the same category per se. But Joba has had his moments and has been the least reliable reliever not named Gaudin.
Where would you have squeezed him in? The games were tight until tonight, and Hughes gobbled up 7 innings himself. Putting (or attempting to) put the hammer down takes precedence over getting Joba in there.
Just because Joba’s ERA is low doesn’t mean he hasn’t given up runs. He’s also allowed inherited runners to score. And he was much, much improved after he was moved to lower leverage use.
And to say he was buried is not really fair. This was a 3 game series. Less opportunities to get into a game.
I was dismayed to see that a large part of yesterday’s time with Girardi was spent on Joba. Since when was Joba a big part of the back end of the bullpen. To me, they had nothing much going, so they chased that story.
Rich in NJ,
Do you really feel that Girardi didn’t pitch Joba out of lack of trust? You don’t buy Eiland’s answer then, do you? (it was a matter of match-ups)
Once a Yankee, always a Yankee (at heart!)…
m,
Joba has frequently made himself part of the story because he likes attention.
Wang,
lol. That is really, really mean!
What I guess I was getting at is that Joba is basically a middle reliever at this point. And it shouldn’t be surprising to anyone that he didn’t get in this very short and very sweet series. Especially the first 2 games, which is what the writers were sniffing around about.
I don’t expect Joba to be a middle reliever for the rest of his Yankee career, but that’s where he is on the ladder right now.
Boy, Robertson is either very lucky or very good. He’s saved our behinds a couple times this season.
As always, m makes such a solid point regarding Joba…..Yeah his era has come down some, but he may lead the league is allowing inherited runs score…In fact he cost Hughes 2 wins because of his antics….He’s trade bait this off season, serious trade bait as I think the organization is done with him…….Later all…
Thanks, everyone. Time for some rest…….
I came here to be happy about the Yankees but the topic seems to be anti-Jobaism again.
Where is that forum for the positive commenters?
It’s that way
Its killing me that I don’t have YES or MLB Network right now. Hope I can fix that before the WS.
Just kidding, m!
I had In-N-Out last night ‘cos I am the true positive optimist commenter guy, but Phil’s performance warrants another official visit.
Sad I couldn’t have watched the game tonight.
Hey m,
Not mean. That’s just Joba.
“Boy, Robertson is either very lucky or very good. He’s saved our behinds a couple times this season.”
About D-Rob: I think he’s steel when it counts. Love to see that in anyone — whether sports or life.
Wish TBS/YES would stream their post-games online.
Nick — I didn’t see the game live myself, but I watched it without knowing who won until my eyes finally betrayed me and I spied the score on mlb.com’s little dead-giveway on their “jump to inning” feature. Why the heck do they have to put the score on there??? Some of us like to watch with our stomachs still in a big knot!!!
GREAT WIN. Like a poster said earlier, love the team wins, when there all lots of contributions. Phil gets the belt tonight, though.
Nick,
I figured you were otherwise engaged. If you can watch the archive, it’s worth it. Hughes and the offense were dealing.
Wedding rehearsal dinner for my mom.. wedding tomorrow. Thank goodness we swept.
Goodnight!
Nick in SF……Yanks have done their role so far,,,,, Let’s go Giants
Great win and a sweep of the Twins. Hoping the Giants can bounce back and win on the road in Atlanta. Tonight was a good night, yes sir.
This article will shock those of you who think Wally Matthews is the epitome of negativity and slam journalism, but he had some VERY complimentary things to say about Girardi. Matthews calls him the ALDS MVP (if there were such an award).
More than anything, I’ve been gratified to see Girardi not play matchy-matchy in the playoffs so far like he did last year. He is letting his guys just play. And he’s also putting the best guys out there. All of his moves have made common sense to me — even leaving CC in when he was in trouble in Game 1.
I still think management ultimately wanted the Twins, but that has now made it possible for the old players to rest. And that’s a good thing.
http://sports.espn.go.com/new-.....id=5668774
Wang:
It sure is great to see the ‘A’ Team out there instead of the mix and match lineups. Those drove me crazy towards the end of the regular season with the division title still undecided.
Thanks for the article link.
Hi Oscar,
Hey those “B” lineups were sometimes seen in games against the Red Sox and Rays early on in the season when we were healthy. All I wanted was to just to compete for real during the season against our main division rivals. Is that so much to ask? It’s a long season and most fans look forward to playing some major competition. Do we have to “practice” all season (as Jete put it)? And no, I don’t believe all those “B” lineups or pitching matchups had to do with injuries, but instead with Girardi’s numbers.
I am THRILLED we’re finally seeing the A Team out there.
I have no complaints with the roster, line-ups or in-game replacements Girardi used to handle the Twins. I hope it continues. It’s finally making sense.
Oscar,
Where are you in the world? It’s awfully late in those parts.
Oops — I guess it’s early now in the East.
Just checked TX vs. NYY pitchers. CC and Phil dominate. AJ has been great. Everyone else — Andy and EVERYONE in the bullpen — has struggled vs. TX.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/.....;teamId=13
good morning early birds!! and you too Wang!
The ALDS was a great team win
for the Core 4 who are not too old
for the pitching which was not a question after CC
for the bullpen
for Granderson, who had a great series, and Robbie who was great all year
for our stellar DHs, and for Swish and Tex
for Girardi who just let the guys play
Woohoo!!!
Vs. Tampa, AJ and Joba have dominated, along with Kerry Wood.
Interesting about AJ against both Tampa and TX (still makes me nervous though).
upstate kate:
AMEN!
I’ll admit, Texas scares me, but Tampa, not so much. If Girardi just lets our guys play, we beat Tampa (the whiners, I call them now).
Texas can hit.
Good morning all!
What is there that’s left to say?
Phil Hughes put all the critics’ doubts to rest. What a fantastic game he pitched!!!!
The team played like a machine. I like that so many different players contributed, but I especially like the contributions from Granderson, Andy and Phil.
It’s going to be hard to not have a Yankees game to watch until Friday night, though. And I hope they find away to keep sharp. It’s a really long rest between games. Health-wise I’m sure there’s a few that can use it. But didn’t they have similar rest last season? I’m sure K Long will be a busy man, keeping all the hitters tuned up.
upstate kate -
Love your post!
Doreen,
“No Yankees for almost a week!” That was my first (albeit selfish) thought. My second was, “wow, that’s a really long break.” I think they could use some rest, but I’d rather have CC going on his regular rest this time. It might help his location. Oh well, we’ll just have to wait.
That means I’ll get more work done, of course. It’s very hard for me to concentrate when the playoffs are happening.
thanks Doreen
you are right, it will be a long wait until Friday
Wang:
Those ‘B’ Teams were just pure torture. I understand the resting of some of the older players once in awhile but not against the Rays and the Sox, my goodness rest the regs against the O’s, A’s, Royals etc. I think if we had played the regs when it mattered we would have had a huge lead in the division towards the end of the year and we could have coasted. Oh well.
I agree with you about Girardi’s numbers and that book of his. It may just turn out now though that he had a plan is is carrying it out.
It is nice to see some consistency with the Hitting and Pitching at the same time. I hope it stays this way for 8 more W’s !
Yazman October 10th, 2010 at 7:54 am
Just checked TX vs. NYY pitchers. CC and Phil dominate. AJ has been great. Everyone else — Andy and EVERYONE in the bullpen — has struggled vs. TX.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/…..;teamId=13
~~~~~~~~~~~~
I think I read that D-Rob is .226 against them. Could be a lot worse.
Upstate Kate:
Woooo Hooooooo to you ! ! ! Life is good and so are our Yankees !
Yazman:
No AJ yet please, I don’t want a stomach ache until midweek, thanks !
10/10/10 must truly be the End of the World.
Mike Loopyca wants the Yankees to pay Jeter for… his intangibles.
http://www.nydailynews.com/spo.....ion_p.html
Soon I’m going to make myself a Bloody Mary and start making breakfast for Mrs. Dog, Daughter Dog and Niece Dog, sans the alcohol for them of course. Daughter Dog and Niece Dog are already up, watching tv and playing Nintendo DS at the same time. OMG how annoying is the Disney Channel? Everyone shouts, the laugh track is unbearable and the music is so loud and crappy.
OK, deep breath. Let’s see, I need clamato juice, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, celery…
Oscar Madison October 10th, 2010 at 8:17 am
Those ‘B’ Teams were just pure torture. I understand the resting of some of the older players once in awhile but not against the Rays and the Sox, my goodness rest the regs against the O’s, A’s, Royals etc. I think if we had played the regs when it mattered we would have had a huge lead in the division towards the end of the year and we could have coasted. Oh well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Absolutely agree. I even remember taking off work to see one of the early Yanks vs. Sox series and being stunned when he was resting our big names throughout. I felt like he was throwing the towel in before we even got started. I have a big Red Sox friend, so there were bragging rights at stake.
Oh well is right.
Agree with Doreen that the best part about this ALDS series: Most everyone on the team contributed in some way making for a great feeling among the guys.
Good morning.
As promised, the ALDS champions tribute.
http://picasaweb.google.com/cy.....cked=true#
Phantastic job Phil.
Enjoy.
Murphydog
you can’t complain about that article
lucky for me when my son was little he liked to watch Star Wars, Magic School Bus, Star Wars, Kratts Creatures and more Star Wars…no wonder I can quote those movies!
I guess the most fatuous part of the Loopyca “Pay Jeter” piece is that Loopy thinks it necessary to point out to the Yankees why they should pay Jeter! It’s just the most amazing thing.
On any given day this idiot craps on Jeter’s range and offense, prays at the feet of Jose Reyes and ridicules the notion of intangibles. Yet today he needs us and the Yankees to know that they better get this done.
He’s like Rip Van Loopyca, asleep for years, awakened suddenly to the value of Derek Jeter and then belches forth his excruciatingly, agonizingly, OBVIOUS lecture on getting the new contract done. Mikey, go back to stomping the divots and playing celebrity softball out in the Hamptons. We’ve got this covered.
MTU
your link doesn’t work, at least for me
murphydog:
Starting your Sunday off with a bang ! Good job on the breakfast, that way you won’t hear it about the bloodies later ! Don’t forget the ‘complete cleanup’ after your meal ! No dishes in the sink. LOL !
Kate-
Try it now. Sorry.
MurphyD,
I think this is the first time I recall you mentioning a Daughter Dog. How wonderful for the Dog family!!
I think Lupica was high when he wrote that article…well, come to think of it, most of the time I believe he writes while medicated…
Truthfully, I’d like Jete to be given above-the-market compensation for what he means to the Yankees (and they ARE going to have to address his value off the ballfield to the club), but I think the Yanks are going to pay more in line with the market rate.
It’s too bad that his contract wasn’t up at the end of last year.
Yu Darvish hopefully becomes a Yank next year. And becomes a starting pitcha
Oscar Madison:
“Don’t forget the ‘complete cleanup’ after your meal ! No dishes in the sink.”
I cook, I clean, I try to keep myself nice for my wife
Congrats to the Yankees on successfully completing step 1. It’s only fitting that I offer a tribute to them and the originator of the tributes. So here’s to MTU and the Yankees.
http://picasaweb.google.com/10.....rKskrX9Dg#
Wang:
A ‘Team’ effort for sure. (except for AJ, Javy and Joba) I feel for Javy, seems like a good guy. The other two drive me nuts.
Wang IS Taiwan:
I’m fairly certain both sides know what it will take to get the Jeter deal done and that both sides want to get it done. A Personal Services contract for post-retirement could be the place to back load cash that Hal might not be willing to pay up front.
murphydog:
You da man ! Have one for me.
MTU -
Your link didn’t work for me.
JCPD -
Oh, man – gorgeous. I love the rainbow pictures, especially the double rainbow. But the arches are a close second!
JCPD-
Awesome. Landscape arch. One of my favorites. Thanks so much for contributing. I’m very glad you do.
Much appreciated.
Now to get ready for the ALCS tribute. Out to Hike today. Maybe collect some local shots for a special AP tribute in case it’s requested.
That’s up to Kate and Jeers though.
Hope you’re right about the common sense approach being taken because that’s exactly what it requires.
I like the idea of a “personal services” contract saving face for both sides.
Nick in SF October 10th, 2010 at 4:11 am
Wedding rehearsal dinner for my mom.. wedding tomorrow. Thank goodness we swept.
………………………..
Hope all goes well, and that the whole affair is as joyful as the Yankees clubhouse, last night!
My pleasure to share Doreen.
Kate/Doreen-
I apologize. I’ll repost another link. Let’s see if that works.
http://picasaweb.google.com/cy.....8iU9YzwMQ#
Oscar Madison October 10th, 2010 at 8:36 am
A ‘Team’ effort for sure. (except for AJ, Javy and Joba) I feel for Javy, seems like a good guy. The other two drive me nuts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hey — sounds like we agree on several things!
Good stuff MTU. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Wang IS Taiwan
October 10th, 2010 at 8:45 am
A good thing, huh ? Nice to have a pleasant Baseball conversation. Sometimes the bashing of others gets a bit tiresome to read / listen to.
great pix JCPD and MTU
we hiked at Snow Canyon
JCPD-
You’re welcome. Always a pleasure.
Oscar Madison October 10th, 2010 at 8:49 am
A good thing, huh ? Nice to have a pleasant Baseball conversation. Sometimes the bashing of others gets a bit tiresome to read / listen to.
~~~~~~~
It does indeed. I skip over much of it. It’s just so personal.
Kate-
I know you did. You wore the whole area out in a handful of days.
You and that Tri-Athlete.
You should have a special appreciation of it’s beauty.
MTU/JCPD,
I’m writing as someone with less-than-zero talent in the area of photography, so thank you for sharing such beauty with us.
I have been to those areas myself, but you’d never know it by looking at MY photos.
Gorgeous stuff.
Thanks Kate, glad you enjoyed
JCPD-
If you don’t mind. Let’s repost the tributes in the next thread so more people can view them.
Wang-
You’re most welcome. Glad you enjoyed them. My pleasure.
Wang:
Personal = Garbage for sure.
Hey Doreen,
I saw that you were making In-n-Out burgers and that there were recipes on the web. I had some down time today and surfed a bit. My family’s in AZ — though there weren’t any In-n-Outs around when I was growing up there — but I had never heard of their “secret menu” that included things like the animal burger.
COOL. The next time I’m home, I’m going to order from their “secret menu”. The animal burger sounds delish.
MTU — so when you go hiking, do you always take your camera out with you?
I’m OK with that. It’s still early and the riff raff hasn’t arrived yet.
Wang-
Except when I forget. It’s what I do. It helps motivate me.
no pics of Teix’s famous ugly goggles, shame on you Chad!