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※ 編輯: leddy 來自: 220.132.198.21 (09/23 23:45)
From Arizona, to Columbus, to the Bronx
By TYLER KEPNER
Published: September 22, 2006
nytimes.com
The first inning Brian Bruney pitched for the Yankees, he struck out the
side. The next night, in a game in which 25 runs scored, he allowed no runs
in the heat of a pennant race at Fenway Park.
The third day, Bruney was on a plane to Ohio for a Class AAA game against the
Toledo Mud Hens. He was not bitter at all. He saw an opportunity.
It was a procedural move, nothing more. The Yankees were in the midst of a
five-game series in Boston and needed a fresh arm. Bruney had minor league
options, so he was briefly returned to the Yankees’ Columbus farm team.
Major leaguers have 72 hours to report to a minor league affiliate. Bruney
flew out that day. He hoped it would make an impression.
“I think they saw right there that I had good character,” Bruney said. “I
wanted to get down there as fast as I could and get back as fast as I could. I
’m very excited to be here, and hopefully, I’ll be here for a while.”
Bruney seems certain to be with the Yankees through October, and improbably,
he could be asked to get important outs. Manager Joe Torre, who admitted he
knew nothing about Bruney when the Yankees called him up, has relied heavily
on him.
In 15 games, Bruney has an 0.53 earned run average with 24 strikeouts in 17
innings. His presence has helped Torre rest Kyle Farnsworth and Scott Proctor
and has given the Yankees a third right-hander who throws 97 miles an hour.
Torre likes Bruney for the quality of his stuff and what he called a “
bulldog approach.” Bruney seems just as concerned with how people view him
off the mound. He is 24 years old with a blazing fastball, yet he was
released by the Arizona Diamondbacks in May. It is natural to wonder if he
brought it on himself.
“I think it’s a big misconception everyone has, because you don’t release
a 24-year-old who throws hard like I do,” Bruney said. “I don’t know how
many times I’ve gotten that question, even from teammates: ‘What did you do
to get released?’ If I did something, I don’t know. I’m not ashamed of
anything I’ve ever done in my life.”
Bruney has a thick, black tattoo of a Maltese cross on his left forearm,
which he said symbolizes strength, honor and integrity. In Arizona, he said
he tried to follow the off-field example of the veteran first baseman Tony
Clark, who is considered one of baseball’s classiest players.
“Bru is an outstanding young man,” Clark said in an e-mail message. “It’s
been exciting for me to see him doing so well. I was disappointed to see him
go, but knew the possibility of him settling in and having a great deal of
success was definitely within reach.”
Bruney pitched in 77 games for the Diamondbacks in 2004 and 2005, with a 6.17
E.R.A. He had more strikeouts than innings pitched, but nearly as many walks.
The Diamondbacks hired a new general manager and a new pitching coach last
winter, and Bruney did not make the team in spring training.
In May, he was battling an elbow strain at Class AAA Tucson. The Diamondbacks
needed a spot for a veteran pitcher, Kevin Jarvis, and they had to drop
someone from their 40-man roster.
Arizona might have the deepest farm system in the majors, loaded with
hard-throwing right-handers, and Bruney did not fit in their long-term plans.
“It’s the nature of where our organization is,” General Manager Josh
Byrnes said. “Our 41st player is a desirable player. With Bruney,
right-handed relief has been an area of strength and inventory. For much of
the season, we’ve had no lefties in the bullpen, and our bullpen’s actually
been pretty good. But Bruney is obviously a guy who’s had his moments, and
it isn’t shocking that he’s doing well.”
Jarvis did not last long with the Diamondbacks, who traded him to Boston on
Aug. 31. After his start against the Yankees last week, Jarvis said Bruney
never had a chance to prove himself this season.
“He wasn’t healthy when I saw him pitch,” Jarvis said. “Speaking with
some teammates who had seen him pitch when he was healthy, they said this is
wasn’t the Brian Bruney that they had seen in the past. It was obvious he
wasn’t 100 percent.”
Bruney said he was thrilled to be released. He had talked with his agent
about requesting a trade, but he got something better: free agency. Billy
Eppler, the Yankees’ pro scouting director, implored General Manager Brian
Cashman to investigate.
Cashman was intrigued by the suggestion, and its source. When he re-signed
with the Yankees last October, Cashman made a point to transfer Eppler from
Tampa, Fla., to New York, and gave him a bigger role. Eppler dispatched the
scout Andy Stankiewicz, a former Yankees infielder, to watch Bruney work out
at a training facility in Arizona.
Bruney’s trainer, Brett Fischer, has also worked with the Yankees’ Randy
Johnson and Chien-Ming Wang. Fischer tweaked Bruney’s mechanics, emphasizing
proper hip rotation to reduce the stress on Bruney’s elbow.
But generally, Fischer said, Bruney had excellent mechanics and the desire to
turn around his career. As a released player with his first child on the way,
Bruney had reached a critical point.
“He was real open,” Fischer said. “He knew it was kind of a crossroads for
him, even at a young age. When I saw him throw for the first time live, I
called his agent and said, ‘This guy’s special.’ To me, it seemed like
when he learned how to pitch, he could be lights out. The Yankees got him at
the right time.”
Stankiewicz gave Eppler a positive report, and Cashman called Bruney to spell
out the Yankees’ plans. He would report to Tampa for three weeks of training
with Gil Patterson, a minor league instructor, and then go to Columbus. The
Yankees offered a minor league deal, and Bruney eagerly agreed.
“When the Yankees are interested in you, you’d be a fool if you don’t come,
” Bruney said.
Patterson said Bruney was diligent about their morning sessions, building
back elbow strength and further smoothing his mechanics. But their most
important talks concerned the mental side of pitching and the importance of
trusting his pitches.
“Before, he might give up a hit or two and have a minimeltdown,” Patterson
said. “Now, he can step back and say, ‘Here we go.’ It’s not, ‘Here we
go again.’ ”
Patterson, who worked for Arizona when Bruney was drafted, urged Bruney to
focus on each pitch and not think too far ahead. But Bruney could not help
but set a date in his mind.
He wanted to join the Yankees by Aug. 15. Two days later, he was on the mound
at Yankee Stadium. And now there is a strong chance he will be there in the
playoffs in less than two weeks.
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