Roger Clemens assured his place in the Hall of Fame with his five Cy Young Awards. David Cone sealed his place in history with his perfect game. But on the eve of the playoffs and with the Yankees setting their sights on their 25th World Series title, the Bombers most consistent pitcher has been none other than Orlando Hernandez.
On a staff that includes Cone, the Rocket, Andy Pettitte and Hideki Irabu, El Duque tops the team in wins (17), starts (33), innings (2141/3), and complete games (two). And when the Yankees open the playoffs against Texas, Hernandez will take his high leg kick and deliberate delivery to the mound for the divisional series opener.
“I think I’ve been pretty good lately, gotten out of some jams. But it’s not important to me who opens the first game; what’s important is whoever pitches the first games wins for us,” Hernandez said before Torre gave him the opening game nod.
“I’m not prepared for the first game or the second game; I’m prepared for any game. We’re excited. But the more important thing is winning the World Series.”
Hernandez is 17-9 with a 4.12 ERA this season. And with Clemens struggling along with the highest ERA of his career and Cone clearly in a funk since his perfect game, El Duque is actually having the best season of any Yankee starter.
“No doubt, he’s been our most consistent pitcher over I don’t know how many starts,” Joe Torre said. “He’s pitching very very well right now. It’s a long season when you get all the way into the postseason; you get into September and there’s another month to go. There’s a lot of baseball left to be played. [But] for as many innings as he’s pitched, he’s done a hell of a job, he really has.”
He’s been a rock, through Andy Pettitte’s ups-and-downs, Hideki Irabu’s lowest spring training points and his eight-game winning streak, and through Cone and Clemens’ struggles. You want consistency? In his first 32 starts this year, only twice had Hernandez suffered consecutive defeats; a three-game losing streak back in early May and the hard luck he’d pitched into lately, dropping losses in Toronto and Cleveland before getting saddled with a no-decision against Tampa Bay last Friday.
“He’s had some tough decisions, but he’s been throwing good; we just didn’t score enough for him in Toronto and we lost 2-1, and in Cleveland he threw just one bad pitch and it cost him,” said catcher Jorge Posada. “You’ve just got to keep talking to him, get on him. He fades away a little bit. But you just encourage him, keep him focused.”
When that focus lapses, he tends to fall behind the occasional hitter, not a good thing with a fastball that’s hardly overpowering at 92 mph tops, and in the high 80s more often than not. But pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre said that Hernandez’ problems are hardly chronic and expects to see the dominant El Duque that tore through last postseason to earn his reputation as a money pitcher.
“He’s fine; he’s physically sound. I’d still like to see him be a little more aggressive. I know his command is better than the numbers are showing, and I know when he’s missing and falling behind he’s nibbling a bit too much. But I know he’s fine and he’ll turn it around pretty good.
Hernandez could have found himself with a week between starts if he didn’t pitch until Games Three or Four next weekend. But Torre doesn’t mind that; he remembers that the biggest win of El Duque’s career – and likely the biggest victory the Yankees had all last season – came on 14 day’s rest.
After not playing in the divisional series against Texas last year, Torre called on him with the Bombers down two games to one against the Indians in the A.L. Championship Series, and Hernandez responded by throwing eight shutout inning of three-hit ball at Cleveland. And he gave up just one run in seven innings as the Yanks won Game Two of the World Series 9-3 on their way to the title.
“When you pitch in situations like that, and they call you a money player, you have confidence,” Hernandez said. “When I go to the mound I have confidence. I know with the great team I have behind me [that] we’ll score runs, so I can go out with confidence.”