[新聞] It's Wright's time!

[xiemark (aisinjuro)]

SPORTS

It's Wright's Time
 Righthander Familiar With Postseason Pressure
October 7, 2006
By DOM AMORE, Courant Staff Writer  DETROIT -- Jaret Wright, scheduled to
start for the Yankees today, was a cocky 21-year-old when he started two
World Series games for the Cleveland Indians in 1997, including Game 7, which
they eventually lost.

"You have that invincible feeling," he said, "like you're never going to get
hurt, and you're always going to the World Series."




Wright, who will try to extend the Yankees' season with his start against the
Tigers' Jeremy Bonderman, had numerous injuries with the Indians, twice
requiring shoulder surgery. He pitched in the playoffs for Atlanta in 2003
and 2004, but didn't make the postseason roster last year, his first with the
Yankees.

As the Yankees were playing Game 5 of the ALDS in Anaheim, Wright was flown
to Chicago to ready for the American League Championship Series. But the
Yankees didn't make it.

"I was on an airplane while they were playing," Wright said. "I actually
asked the stewardess if we won or lost. She said we lost."

This season he has stayed relatively healthy, making 30 starts and finishing
11-7 with a 4.49 ERA.

"You gain a perspective on the game," Wright said, "where you try to enjoy
it, get the most out of it. Going back [to the postseason] this year, being a
Yankee, it's special to me."

Down 2-1 in the five-game Division Series to the Tigers, the Yankees' season
now rests on Wright. Don't look for Chien-Ming Wang, their 19-game winner, to
start on short rest or appear in relief. The Yankees left him in New York for
a possible Game 5 start.

"This young man has pitched this many innings and I'm not about to mess with
his future," manager Joe Torre said. "We have to deal with the people we have
here."

Wang, 26, has pitched over 200 innings, more than he has in any season.

The Yankees signed Wright to a two-year deal with an option for a third year
at $7 million, or a $4 million buyout. On those terms, the Yankees will
strongly consider bringing Wright back, but a strong postseason start would
make that decision easier.

"I love playing [in New York]," Wright said. "It's kind of like, how you feel
inside is expressed by the fans. If you pitch bad, you feel bad inside [and
fans boo]. I've never been to a place where 50,000 plus are so intense when
they watch the games. Check swings, umpires, they're watching everything."

Wright struggles with his control at times, but can still get his fastball
up to 95 mph to work out of trouble and Torre has always liked his grit. The
Yankees don't care how many pitches he throws today; they have a rested
bullpen and no tomorrow, and will take five good innings from their
starter.

"It's not always comfortable watching him do it," Torre said. "But you feel
good about whose doing it."

Wang wasn't happy about being left behind.

"He wasn't happy about it," Torre said. "He wanted to stay with the team."

If the Yankees were up 2-0, Wang would have come, Torre said. But starting
Wang on three days' rest was never an option, so there was no point bringing
him.

"With this youngster, I'm certainly not going to take a risk with his future,"
Torre said.

Misunderstanding A-Rod

Alex Rodriguez took the brunt of the criticism in New York after the loss in
Game 2, even though he was not the only one who struggled at the plate
against hard-throwing Justin Verlander and Joel Zumaya. Why is he such a
lightning rod?

"There are always a lot of theories about it," Torre said. "He says a lot of
things, where he's trying to say the right things, but it doesn't come out
right, unless you know him."

Comments made by Rodriguez in the Sports Illustrated article in September
could fall into that category, where he mentioned high-salaried teammates
such as Mike Mussina and Jason Giambi as "getting a pass" from the fans and
media in New York.

"There was never any problem in here," Torre said. "You have to remember, he
was asked those questions at a time when he was at kind of a low point, on
the West Coast."

Torre said Rodriguez's personality was "180 degrees" from what it was during
his long slump in Seattle and Anaheim in late August, and he said there is no
basis for any reports that the Yankees will look to trade him.

"There's certainly no foundation for that," Torre said. "We've seen people
who can't handle New York and they basically throw up their hands. You sense
that. With Alex, he's still working at it."

Damon's Knee OK

Johnny Damon, who fouled a ball off his left knee in his last at-bat in New
York, took batting practice, reported he was fine and was in the lineup. ...
Derek Jeter is from nearby Kalamazoo, but he is usually booed in Detroit. "I
don't think they like me too much," he said. "They keep saying I'm a sellout
for playing in New York." ... Curtis Granderson has two homers in the series,
matching the most for a Detroit player since Chet Lemon in '87.

Contact Dom Amore at

[e-mail].




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