Boland: Hughes shows just how good he can be

OAKLAND, Calif.

Phil Hughes used words such as "frustrated" and "disappointed."

He was the second Yankees pitcher in less than two weeks to bring a no-hitter into the eighth inning and the second one to come up short.

But asked what he will take from Wednesday night's game - coming close to carving out a piece of history for himself or feeling virtually unhittable with the best stuff he's had as a starter in his young career - Hughes didn't hesitate.

"The latter," he said. "I'm just trying to put together as many quality starts as I can. Obviously, you're trying to go out there and throw a perfect game every time, but it's not going to happen. I'll take 28, 30 more of these if I can."

These meaning his final line: 71/3 innings, one infield hit by Eric Chavez with none out in the eighth, one run charged to him that scored after he departed, two walks and a career-best 10 strikeouts.

"That's the best I've seen him as a starter," general manager Brian Cashman said Thursday from his office. Even better than the night in Texas in 2007 when Hughes - in his second major-league start - was pitching a no-hitter against Texas with one out in the seventh when he had to leave the game with a hamstring injury.

One start doesn't portend a career - or a season, for that matter - but there was a lot to like Wednesday. Hughes, 23, showed the stuff that reaffirms the thoughts of those in the organization who believe he has front-end-of-the-rotation ability, and the reason Cashman has consistently refused to deal him.

"Everything," Cashman said of what most impressed him. "His tempo, his curveball, his cutter, his fastball. He attacked hitters the whole night."

Jorge Posada was most impressed that Hughes threw 10 curveballs at most. "He was mainly fastball, cutter," he said.

Hughes was ahead of almost every hitter and retired 20 straight after Daric Barton walked with one out in the first. Three-ball counts were almost as rare as hits. "My command was probably the best it's ever been," Hughes said.

The changeup Hughes worked on throughout spring training and threw a bit in his first start was never called. "We didn't need one," Posada said.

Girardi and Hughes said during spring training that last year's successful bullpen stint - in which he went 5-1 with three saves, a 1.40 ERA, 31 hits allowed and 65 strikeouts in 511/3 innings - would be something to build off. The dynamics of starting and relieving are far different, but being dominant in the bullpen could only help.

Cashman said Hughes had dominated at every level but the majors since being drafted in the first round in 2004. Dominating out of the bullpen, Cashman said, "gave him an aura of confidence that not only could he pitch here [in the majors] but that he could dominate here . . . You saw that confidence for eight innings yesterday."

And, yes, Hughes would have had the chance to finish what he started.

Eleven days earlier in St. Petersburg, CC Sabathia no-hit the Rays for 72/3 innings before Kelly Shoppach lined a single to left on Sabathia's 111th and, it turned out, final pitch.

Even if Sabathia had retired Shoppach, Girardi wouldn't have allowed him to pitch the ninth. But Hughes, who began the eighth at 87 pitches, wasn't going anywhere. As Girardi said: "If he doesn't give up a hit, we let him keep going."

Hughes admitted to being unnerved by Chavez's hard grounder off his left forearm on his first pitch of the eighth. The ball ricocheted between the mound and home plate, and Hughes still would have had a play had he been able to find the ball. But he seemingly was the only one in the ballpark who didn't see it end up about 10 feet in front of the mound. Said Hughes, "It seemed like I was looking for the ball for about eight minutes."

A tough way to lose a chance to pitch the 11th regular-season no-hitter in franchise history. "To have it end that way is kind of a bummer, but that's the game," he said. "But I'm happy to get out of here with a win."