Mature Hughes dominates as Yankees reliever
Photo credit: Newsday / Thomas A. Ferrara | Phil Hughes throws in the eighth inning against Baltimore on Wednesday afternoon.
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There is something almost middle-aged about Phil Hughes.
The first clue you get of this is when you notice that he is the only player with a shoe tree in his locker at Yankee Stadium. In a cleat-clad world where men are allowed to be boys decades into adulthood there is something incredibly prepared, incredibly grown-up about this baby-faced, 23-year-old, starter-turned-reliever.
This is a good thing for the Yankees. It is a good thing because Hughes could have thrown a tantrum when he was moved out of the starting rotation in June. It wasn't his idea. But he handled the move with unusual maturity for a young pitcher, and in the process transformed himself into the team's most dominant reliever outside of Mariano Rivera. Hughes found a way to get his mind around his new role, even if it was the last thing he had envisioned for himself.
"I really don't separate the outings from themselves," Hughes said. "I look at them as one big start."
Make that one long, incredible start. Hughes has not allowed a run in his last 14 outings, including yesterday's 6-4 win over Baltimore, when he allowed one hit and struck out one in the eighth inning. He has not allowed a run in his last 20 innings, dating to June 10 at Boston.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that is the longest single-season scoreless stretch for a Yankees relief pitcher since Mariano Rivera went 23 innings in 2005,
Hughes' success has helped transform a bullpen that was just short of a total disaster into something with which to be reckoned. Through 16 relief appearances, Hughes has a 0.81 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 221/3 innings. Suddenly, Hughes and Rivera are the most effective relief combination in the game.
Hughes, a No. 1 draft pick in 2004, was brought to the big leagues as a starter in 2007. Over three seasons, he was 8-9 in 28 starts and was hampered by a series of injuries in 2008.
"Phil Hughes is an example that this game is not easy and you are going to go through some struggles," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "What it's all about is how you get out of those struggles."
The Yankees still envision Hughes as a starting pitcher, though it likely won't be happening this season the way he is throwing. Hughes' fastball is being clocked in the mid-to-high 90s, rather than the low 90s he threw as a starter. He is also displaying the kind of confidence that the Yankees need in the postseason.
"The way the American League plays, the bullpen is very important," Girardi said. "So many teams work counts and extend innings. You need to be strong there and shorten games as much as you can. That's why we need him there."
As well as Hughes is pitching, he has yet to launch the sort of starter-versus-reliever controversy that rages around Joba Chamberlain. Maybe that's because Chamberlain started off with great success in the bullpen before being moved to a starter. It could also have something to do with their personalities.
One the surface, Chamberlain and Hughes have a lot in common. Both are in their early 20s, both have had more success in the bullpen than as a starter and they likely will wind up together in the same starting rotation some day. Yet, the similarities end there as it's harder to imagine two more different sides of the same coin.
Chamberlain is emotional and demonstrative on the field; Hughes is serious and workmanlike. The same might be said of their lifestyles and demeanors.
Hughes said he isn't exactly sure why he has avoided the never-ending debate that haunts Chamberlain, but for now he is happy things are going the way they are going.
"You can be bitter or embrace it," Hughes said of the adjustment he had to make when the Yankees told him he was going to the bullpen. "Right now, I'm happy with where I'm at."
